Flood-hit Kashmir Valley

 

Jammu and Kashmir is facing its worst floods in six decades that have left nearly 200 people dead. Srinagar has practically become an island and over 7 lakh people are stranded there with many areas completely under water.

The collapse of communication systems in the flood-hit Kashmir Valley has become a major stumbling block in rescue efforts. 

 

The only ray of hope is being provided by social media networks which have come in handy for spreading distress messages from thousands of stranded people. "My family is stuck at HNo. 456 MIG Colony Bemina... I request all my contacts to shared message and use their good offices to evacuate ppl inside... my network may go off anytime... pls I request all... (sic)" said a post by Aamir Bin Masood on a Kashmir floods community page on Facebook. The page was flooded with similar distress messages. Phone lines are down in Srinagar, where lakhs are still stranded. These messages are proving to be of immense help to rescue teams. IAF helicopter teams are being provided with information on stranded people through the Internet so that crews can evacuate them.
 

The view of Srinagar from an Indian Air Force helicopter on Monday Sep 08,2014

  

The National Disaster Response Force has deployed 700 personnel and over 100 boats in the flood-ravaged valley. It has rescued about 5,000 persons in four days of full-steam operations so far. But it’s very tough going. 
 

The 300-km Jammu-Srinagar highway has now been closed for five days, and the Army says another five days are needed before traffic can resume. 

The Valley remains cut off from Ladakh as well. 

A view during flash floods in Rajouri district in J&K on September 8, 2014

An aerial view of inundated areas of Srinagar city
 

More than 22,000 people, including around 2,000 from Srinagar have been rescued and brought to safety. The Army has deployed around 20,000 soldiers to rescue stranded people and has 65 medical teams and 15 engineering task forces spread out in the flood-ravaged valley. Thousands are still stranded
 

Half a million still stranded across flood-ravaged J&K as rescue teams go house-to-house in boats

 

The unprecedented relief operations underway in Srinagar might still not match the scale of the devastation caused by flash floods, but they managed to bring some smiles on the faces of the affected people.

“Thank you so much again for your relief work and in helping out people. My sister has been rescued. All thanks to you and your team. They wouldn’t have made it without you,” wrote Mariam Nessa on the Army’s social networking site page. 

  

According to reports from local residents in the Srinagar's Chattabal district, carcasses of hundreds of high breed cows are floating in the water

A sanitation programme has been started in the flood ravaged city informing people about the threat of cholera