Most areas of the summer capital Srinagar remained water-logged on Thursday, causing hardships to commuters, as rains continued for the second consecutive day across Kashmir.
Residents of different areas said due to defunct drainage system the areas were inundated in the rain water making it difficult for people to move out of their homes.
Residents of Firdous Abad locality in Batamalloo said the roads dotted with potholes remained water-logged for the entire day.
“It is very difficult to move out of home as all the roads and lanes in the locality are inundated,” said Muhammad Maqbool, a local.
He said the drainage system of the surrounding areas frequently gets blocked due to rains, resulting in overflowing of water. “This overflowing water is posing a threat to the residential houses,” he said.
Another resident said they have brought the grievances to the notice of authorities concerned several times in the past, but to no avail, “Our pleas seem to have fallen on the deaf ears as the authorities are unmoved to address the problem which is persisting for many years,” he said.
The knee-deep water on different roads, including Residency Road, MA Road, Hari Singh High Street caused hardships to commuters and led to massive traffic jams.
Most of the city markets, roads and localities literally remained submerged. Commuters and locals had to wade through water to reach respective destinations.
People urged the authorities to take immediate measures for redressal of the long pending grievance. They said the water-logging problem gets compounded due to the defunct drainage system.
Despite three agencies – SMC, UEED and ERA – mandated to handle drainage system in Srinagar, each time there is rainfall, the choked drains led to worsening of the situation.
An official from Srinagar Municipal Corporation said men and machinery were pressed for dewatering of the affected areas.