Flash floods in Zanskar sub-division of Kargil in Jammu & Kashmir’s ladakh region washed away bridges and culverts on Thursday after a major breach occurred in a lake formed by a massive landslide that had blocked the Phutkal River during winter. The breach put a question mark on the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA)’s claims that the dammed up water had been managed through “controlled blasting” on April 1.
The blockade occurred during winter season when a 200-feet-high landslide halted the flow of Phutkal tributary of the Zanskar River, raising the water level to dangerous levels. The 8-kilometre lake created between Shaday Sumdo and Mar Shun villages became a threat for the villages along the banks. The Union Home Ministry was monitoring the swelling lake. Several teams of experts landed in the danger zone to monitor the situation.
locals of Padum said that the dammed up water came down thunderously on Thursday washing away culverts and bridges located at different places including Ichar, Padum, Tipting, Chah and Pipcha. The authorities have closed down schools in the area to prevent loss of life. Breach in artificial lake over Phutkal River in Kargil
The Army had claimed last month that experts from the NDMA with the help of army created a breach by controlled blasting leading to recession of water level in the lake. However, the sudden breach leading to flood threat put a question mark on the claims. Kargil Deputy Commissioner Hassan Khan confirmed that flash-floods caused damage to the infrastructure and some six bridges have been washed away. legislative Council Chairman Haji Inayat Ali asked Divisional Commissioner Kashmir Gazanfar Hussain to keep an eye on the merging situation in the affected area.
Congress legislature Party (ClP) leader Rigzin Jora blamed NDMA team of carrying out “shoddy work”. “Imagine making a channel of two meter depth, two meter wide in loose, rocky, sandy terrain and expect it to drain out discharge from glacier 50 meter thick 100 meter wide and 14 km in length. These experts of NDMA did not even apply common sense, forget about coming up with any scientific solution to it”, Jora said.
He said that the lake burst at its own and questioned the monitoring of cabinet secretary.“Despite warning by local experts and my raising the issue in the assembly and in the media, the government did nothing at all,” he said. “Crores of rupees were blown out in organizing meetings, conventions, seminar, press briefings; heli -rides - all to no avail”, Jora alleged.