(MENAFN- The Peninsula) The Indian military yesterday scaled up its massive operation to rescue thousands marooned in Jammu and Kashmir's worst floods in 50 years, which have claimed more than 160 lives.
With phone lines down and roads cut off, the full scale of the disaster in the Kashmir region was still to emerge but video footage shot from army helicopters showed entire villages under water, with only tin roofs visible.
The army, navy and the air force used boats, helicopters and planes in a bid to reach thousands stranded on rooftops in Srinagar following days of torrential rains and flash floods.
Disaster officials say at least 350 villages have been submerged by monsoon rains.
With seven more people dying in a landslide in Udhampur yesterday, the death toll in a week of devastation has crossed 160, officials said.
A defence ministry spokesman said that the army had rescued 23,530 people from different regions of the state.
Deploying hundreds of men for rescue and relief work, the army has distributed 5,000 blankets, 140 tents, 23,000 litres of water and 600 kg of biscuits.
Water bottles are being airlifted from Chandigarh and New Delhi. Eighty medical teams have swung into action. A total of 85 tonnes of medicines have been airlifted.
Fifty-two Indian Air Force helicopters and transport aircraft have flown 140 sorties and dropped 155 tonnes of relief materials.
But officials admitted that the situation was grim and there was no contact yet with remote areas in the Kashmir Valley now made more inaccessible by all-round destruction.
Srinagar, the summer capital of the state, remained mostly under water. The overflowing Jhelum took virtually the entire city in its grip, barring the old parts located on higher ground.
Residents said that in some areas two- and three-storey houses had almost gone under water, and that thousands in Srinagar were sheltering on rooftoops hoping and praying for an early rescue.
With radio and television services crippled, most mobile phones not functional and no Internet connectivity, there were no tweets from Chief Minister Omar Abdullah - and no easy way to get in touch with senior police and civil officials.
"I have never seen anything like this," said Mohammed Ashraf, a long-time Srinagar resident. "This is like hell."
Police and the Central Reserve Police Force also joined the rescue efforts, at places transporting the marooned to safer places in trucks.
Yesterday, the army airlifted its communication equipment and BSNL loads were flown in from Bangalore and Jammu.
Most of Srinagar's residential and commercial areas have been inundated. Residents and traders scrambled to save whatever they could from the muddy and swirling waters of the Jhelum river.
The waters have entered homes, shops, businesses, schools and colleges, hospitals, mosques and army camps. There was a sea of water at Lal Chowk, the city centre.
People plied boats on flooded streets to reach higher ground.
The only communication tool still up and running was the police wireless system.
The army has established shelter camps at Poonch, Rajouri, Thanamandi, Bela, Potha, Sanai, Kishtwar, Akhnoor, Budhal, Gulabgarh, Sungri, Salomé, Gul, Kandi, Samote, Mahore and Chasana areas.
Each camp is now home to 50 to nearly 1,200 homeless people.
Except for connectivity between Srinagar and north Kashmir's Ganderbal district, all other districts of the valley - including Anantnag, Pulwama, Kulgam, Shopian, Badgam, Baramulla and Bandipora - were cut off.
The Srinagar-Jammu highway and the Srinagar-Leh highway were closed for the fourth day yesterday.
The floods have hit the availability of petrol all over Srinagar. Fuel station operators were rationing the fuel, giving just one litre to each vehicle.
All educational institutes have been shut. All Haj flights to Saudi Arabia have been cancelled until September 12. Srinagar airport was cut off from the city by heavy flooding just 700 yards outside the terminal, according to a correspondent.
The silver lining is that there was sunshine in both the valley and Jammu, with the weather office saying there would be fair weather for the next four days.
The water level in all mountain streams and seasonal drains has gone down.
But the Jhelum, which caused maximum devastation, was still flowing above the danger mark.
Legal Disclaimer:
MENAFN provides the information “as is” without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the provider above.