Jammu, July 12: The havoc that sudden flashfloods have been wreaking in and around Jammu city for the past few days is a signal of a major disaster in waiting and needs to be tackled on war footing.
The chocked city Nullahas and drainage system is posing the major threat to the citizens throwing life out of gear every time after a heavy downpour and the menace is only increasing by the day.
For the past few days Jammu city witnessed damage to property worth crores of rupees due to rains and the flashfloods in Talab Tillo, Bhagwati Nagar, Jewel Chowk, Trikuta Nagar, Channi Himat, Channi Rama etc with the situation reaching to such a pass that even trucks and light vehicles parked on roads are being washed away.
The question is what is the city administration or the Jammu Municipality doing to tackle the alarming situation except for clearing the Nullahas here and there or paying visits to localities.
However as they say well begun is half done and that beginning was made by the district administration on Friday when both the District Magistrate along with Jammu Municipal Commissioner went round the affected areas alongwith men and machinery to clear the chocked drains but finding the real reason of the flash floods ordered immediate removal of illegal encroachments from Nullahas and drainage system.
This is surely a welcome step on the part of the district administration but should not stop here and instead it should be the beginning of the end of encroachments on drainage system of and Nullahas of Jammu city to save the citizens of the mess that visits them immediately after heavy rains.
The citizens of the city are basically paying the price for the follies of some anti-social elements who encroach upon the nullahas and drainage system of the city to construct illegal structures while the administration turns a blind eye.
The district magistrate who has taken the wise step of ordering immediate removal of encroachments must not stop here but ask the JMC and other revenue authorities to identify all the encroachments over such Nullahas or drainage system in Jammu and remove the encroachments immediately without waiting for another disaster to happen.
However such a harsh step may involve political interference but the district administration needs to involve the Mohalla committees and other social associations in advance to impress upon the residents to either remove the encroachments on their own or help administration to remove the same which will discourage any political interference during such campaign.
The JMC on the other hand also needs to identify the places where Nullahs need protection walls and immediate widening and do the needful without waiting for more flooding that has already damaged movable and immovable property of the citizens.
The damage that these flashfloods and chocking of the drainage system has caused in the city should be viewed from the common-man’s point of view as for him a small damage sometimes affects his lifelong earnings of the family.
There are incidents where important records of the people have got washed away in recent flashfloods and chocking of the drainage system which can never be restored and it is the duty of the JMC and the district administration to ensure that such damages are not caused again.
The administration needs to nip this evil in the bud by strengthening the drive against encroachments all over the city and clear the Nullahs and drainage system immediately so that people heave a sigh of relief and are saved from the sudden disasters that are basically man made and the consequence of others follies.