At midnight on Saturday, September 6, central Srinagar was wide awake. The previous night there had been barely a vehicle on the road, but now cars loaded with people and their belongings raced past us. They were heading away from neighbourhoods like Shivpora, Indira Nagar, Jawahar Nagar and Raj Bagh. The night was alive with fear. “Paani aa raha hai,” people were shouting.
Those who took the situation seriously – and had somewhere safer to get to – evacuated their homes. Thousands of others, unaware of the fury with which the waters of the Jhelum would hit them, chose to barricade their homes and stay indoors.
At first light on September 7, the extent of flooding became visible. Water had filled the entire ground and first floor of buildings. In Shivpora, the floodwaters arrived at approximately 2 am. By 5.45 the neighbourhood was submerged in at least eight feet of water. Those living in single storey homes had nowhere to run. Only the slanted roofs of these structures were still visible. Soon the river would swallow these as well.
By morning there was no electricity. Mobile communications gave way soon after. Badami Bagh Cantonment, the home of the army’s 15 Corps, on the other side of National Highway 1A, was hit hard. Kendriya Vidyalaya No 1 was completely flooded – only the board above its main gate, 12 feet-15 feet above ground, allowed rescuers to identify the building. The 92 Base Hospital’s lower block was flooded and the Corps’ stadium resembled a lake. Rajinder Dwar, the main entrance to Badami Bagh, has three massive concrete towers. They were two-thirds under water. The four-floor officers’ quarters, immediately on the left after the gate, were half-submerged. Its main helipad was out of commission.
Search and rescue
This army formation, headed by Lt General Subroto Saha, would not have time to lick its own wounds. Instead, it had to prepare for the largest rescue operation Srinagar has seen. Major General Ajay Das, Brigadier Vinay Behl and Brigadier NS Lamba, the hospital commandant, were a constant presence at what became known as "Boat Point", the nodal centre of the army’s rescue effort in Srinagar at the foot of road leading up from the hospital.
With the civil administration completely unequipped to deal with the disaster, the army became a beacon of hope for tens of thousands of Kashmiris and tourists stranded all over the city. On the first day, for example, the Jammu and Kashmir police sent a solitary boat to help out. That venture turned futile as the driver said he had only ever driven it on Dal Lake and would not be able to maneuver in the flood conditions. The boats of the Central Reserve Police Force were similarly ill-equipped.
The Corps headquarters received a stream of messages over the army’s communications network from troops stationed at various locations. More than 3,000 soldiers were marooned in across the region. One of the most difficult decisions for officers coordinating operations was how to prioritise evacuations. Even as the army brass made decisions, requests poured in from the state government and police and visitors with political connections.
Four advantages
The army had four things going for it: trained manpower, logistical skills, strong leadership and a BAUT, a small amphibious assault craft with an outboard motor.
Colonel Arun Awasthy, commanding officer of 7 Rashtriya Rifles, was among the first officers to leave Badami Bagh with a rescue team at approximately 5.30 am. on Saturday. Colonel Gagan spent 14 hours on back-and-forth trips to clear the Corps transit camp, rescuing hundreds of soldiers and civilians. He was even abused by those he could not take on his BAUT, despite promises that he would return. But these scenes of agitation were the exception. Most Kashmiris were calm and collected – shouting to the rescue teams so that their locations were known but waiting quietly thereafter.
The soldiers are now rationing their own food and water because they have several thousand civilians to feed.
The army’s rescue effort can be broadly divided into two areas: Jammu (Western Command) and the Valley (Northern Command). In the Jammu division the rescue effort is over, said Western Army Commander Lt General KJ Singh, and the army is now engaged in relief work and in restoring connectivity.
But in the Valley, thousands remain stranded. The rescue phase could take at least three or four more days and relief operations will go on for several weeks thereafter. Some 250 columns of the army, with 80-100 men each, have been deployed in rescue operations. Several soldiers have been washed away or drowned while trying to get civilians out of danger.
Army units in places like Jalandhar, Chandigarh and Udhampur have used their regimental welfare funds to procure food and water to send to the flood-hit areas. The Army Wives Welfare Association has begun collection drives for essentials like medicines and warm clothes. The army has opened up its stores of food and is using its operational equipment to lay bridges, clear roads and restore telecommunications.
Air support
The Air Force is also playing a major role in the evacuation process. Helicopter operations are on throughout the day, while it has also pressed its transport aircraft into work, ferrying more BAUTs into the Valley, along with troops, food, fuel and other essential.
Srinagar air base is a key area in the rescue operations. The Air Force’s helicopter pilots and army aviators are flying non-stop sorties to rescue people who are still marooned in their homes. They are also dropping essential supplies to areas where the water does not pose a threat but starvation and disease do. Since roads between the airport and Badami Bagh are flooded, the only way to get outsiders rescued by the army out of Srinagar is to airlift them from the Nehru Helipad near the Governor’s house. It is a massive operation and the people queuing up at the helipad number in the thousands. These chopper pilots are pushing themselves and their machines to the limit ‒ conducting almost 500 sorties a day in trying conditions.
I spent six hours with squadron leader Azam Ally, a MiG 21 pilot. Fighters can’t play a role in the operations but these officers are coordinating the process of getting people out of the Valley. Ally had to deal with all sorts of requests from locals and tourists alike. Everyone had an urgent need to get out, others refused to leave because they wish to wait for friends and family. The requests for information were endless and demands sometimes absurd.
Most of these soldiers come to Kashmir for short stints in counter-insurgency roles. They do not share language, cuisine or customs, and most often religion. There is little interaction between the average soldier and the average Kashmiri. While the rescue operation in Kashmir remains the priority, it also presents an opportunity to change the relationship between the forces and the community.
The author is the editor of Sports Illustrated India and was in Srinagar from September 5-9.
Those who took the situation seriously – and had somewhere safer to get to – evacuated their homes. Thousands of others, unaware of the fury with which the waters of the Jhelum would hit them, chose to barricade their homes and stay indoors.
At first light on September 7, the extent of flooding became visible. Water had filled the entire ground and first floor of buildings. In Shivpora, the floodwaters arrived at approximately 2 am. By 5.45 the neighbourhood was submerged in at least eight feet of water. Those living in single storey homes had nowhere to run. Only the slanted roofs of these structures were still visible. Soon the river would swallow these as well.
Courtesy: Siddhant Aney
By morning there was no electricity. Mobile communications gave way soon after. Badami Bagh Cantonment, the home of the army’s 15 Corps, on the other side of National Highway 1A, was hit hard. Kendriya Vidyalaya No 1 was completely flooded – only the board above its main gate, 12 feet-15 feet above ground, allowed rescuers to identify the building. The 92 Base Hospital’s lower block was flooded and the Corps’ stadium resembled a lake. Rajinder Dwar, the main entrance to Badami Bagh, has three massive concrete towers. They were two-thirds under water. The four-floor officers’ quarters, immediately on the left after the gate, were half-submerged. Its main helipad was out of commission.
Search and rescue
This army formation, headed by Lt General Subroto Saha, would not have time to lick its own wounds. Instead, it had to prepare for the largest rescue operation Srinagar has seen. Major General Ajay Das, Brigadier Vinay Behl and Brigadier NS Lamba, the hospital commandant, were a constant presence at what became known as "Boat Point", the nodal centre of the army’s rescue effort in Srinagar at the foot of road leading up from the hospital.
With the civil administration completely unequipped to deal with the disaster, the army became a beacon of hope for tens of thousands of Kashmiris and tourists stranded all over the city. On the first day, for example, the Jammu and Kashmir police sent a solitary boat to help out. That venture turned futile as the driver said he had only ever driven it on Dal Lake and would not be able to maneuver in the flood conditions. The boats of the Central Reserve Police Force were similarly ill-equipped.
The Corps headquarters received a stream of messages over the army’s communications network from troops stationed at various locations. More than 3,000 soldiers were marooned in across the region. One of the most difficult decisions for officers coordinating operations was how to prioritise evacuations. Even as the army brass made decisions, requests poured in from the state government and police and visitors with political connections.
Four advantages
The army had four things going for it: trained manpower, logistical skills, strong leadership and a BAUT, a small amphibious assault craft with an outboard motor.
Colonel Arun Awasthy, commanding officer of 7 Rashtriya Rifles, was among the first officers to leave Badami Bagh with a rescue team at approximately 5.30 am. on Saturday. Colonel Gagan spent 14 hours on back-and-forth trips to clear the Corps transit camp, rescuing hundreds of soldiers and civilians. He was even abused by those he could not take on his BAUT, despite promises that he would return. But these scenes of agitation were the exception. Most Kashmiris were calm and collected – shouting to the rescue teams so that their locations were known but waiting quietly thereafter.
Courtesy: Siddhant Aney
The soldiers are now rationing their own food and water because they have several thousand civilians to feed.
The army’s rescue effort can be broadly divided into two areas: Jammu (Western Command) and the Valley (Northern Command). In the Jammu division the rescue effort is over, said Western Army Commander Lt General KJ Singh, and the army is now engaged in relief work and in restoring connectivity.
But in the Valley, thousands remain stranded. The rescue phase could take at least three or four more days and relief operations will go on for several weeks thereafter. Some 250 columns of the army, with 80-100 men each, have been deployed in rescue operations. Several soldiers have been washed away or drowned while trying to get civilians out of danger.
Army units in places like Jalandhar, Chandigarh and Udhampur have used their regimental welfare funds to procure food and water to send to the flood-hit areas. The Army Wives Welfare Association has begun collection drives for essentials like medicines and warm clothes. The army has opened up its stores of food and is using its operational equipment to lay bridges, clear roads and restore telecommunications.
Air support
The Air Force is also playing a major role in the evacuation process. Helicopter operations are on throughout the day, while it has also pressed its transport aircraft into work, ferrying more BAUTs into the Valley, along with troops, food, fuel and other essential.
The submerged Valley, seen from the back of a Mi-17 helicopter.
Courtesy: Siddhant Aney
Srinagar air base is a key area in the rescue operations. The Air Force’s helicopter pilots and army aviators are flying non-stop sorties to rescue people who are still marooned in their homes. They are also dropping essential supplies to areas where the water does not pose a threat but starvation and disease do. Since roads between the airport and Badami Bagh are flooded, the only way to get outsiders rescued by the army out of Srinagar is to airlift them from the Nehru Helipad near the Governor’s house. It is a massive operation and the people queuing up at the helipad number in the thousands. These chopper pilots are pushing themselves and their machines to the limit ‒ conducting almost 500 sorties a day in trying conditions.
I spent six hours with squadron leader Azam Ally, a MiG 21 pilot. Fighters can’t play a role in the operations but these officers are coordinating the process of getting people out of the Valley. Ally had to deal with all sorts of requests from locals and tourists alike. Everyone had an urgent need to get out, others refused to leave because they wish to wait for friends and family. The requests for information were endless and demands sometimes absurd.
Most of these soldiers come to Kashmir for short stints in counter-insurgency roles. They do not share language, cuisine or customs, and most often religion. There is little interaction between the average soldier and the average Kashmiri. While the rescue operation in Kashmir remains the priority, it also presents an opportunity to change the relationship between the forces and the community.
Courtesy: Siddhant Aney
The author is the editor of Sports Illustrated India and was in Srinagar from September 5-9.
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