After Conflict, Relentless Rains Wreak Havoc on Kashmir

Fresh rains and mudslides have halted efforts to recover the body of a six-year-old boy buried under mounds of mud, four days after landslides and flash floods pummeled India-administered Kashmir for the second time in seven months.

Amid heavy rains and recurring landslides, rescuers made another abortive bid on Thursday to recover the body of Faisal Ahmad, who was buried along with 11 family members and five neighbors on Monday morning when landslides hit Ledhan village in Budgam district, some 28 miles west of Kashmir's summer capital, Srinagar.

"The only earth mover we managed to lug on top of this mountain has gone kaput," Mohammad Maqbool, who oversaw the state's disaster response force, told Vice News. "With just spades and few men, removing 30 feet deep mud is impossible. We want the rains to stop."

Maqbool said there are only 20 rescuers for the entire district, "which is another reason for the delayed efforts."

With more rains projected for the next few days across Kashmir, authorities have set up relief camps, issued evacuation charts in Srinagar and sounded an alert asking people living near the river Jhelum to move to safer areas.

The main highway in Kashmir remains blocked due to fresh landslides even as the Srinagar-Muzaffarabad road, a route opened by India and Pakistan in 2005 for trade, has been closed.

Schools in the Kashmir valley have been asked to close as a result of the flooding, while residents and houseboats in Dal Lake in Srinagar have been told to stay alert as the water level rose on Thursday.

Police officials say they have made available 60 rubber boats and thousands of sand bags in the capital in order to rescue people and plug breaches. Srinagar was hit hard by the 2014 floods.

So far, nearly 800 people have been rescued, mostly from the central Kashmir.

"We've deployed 14000 policemen across the valley. Things are in control," Imran Farooq, one of the Kashmir's top police officers told Vice News.

Ledhan is one of those villages hit hard by the flash flooding and landslides.  It stands atop one of the Pir Panjal range peaks in central Kashmir and is reached by snaking snow and mud tracks on slopes flecked with pine trees and fast melting snow.

Along the route Vice News found fallen trees and carcasses of cattle swept away by floods during the five-days of heavy rain.

A survivor, Manzoor Ahmad Hajam, 20, described how the earth shook when the hillside collapsed onto seven houses, burying villagers alive in the cold sludge.

"I pulled myself out of the mud to find debris all around. I cried for help until villagers converged at the site," Hajam told Vice News, describing how army and police officials later used spades and sniffer dogs to locate corpses.

"This was seven hours after the mudslides hit our homes. There was no alert from the government. We could have [left] ahead of the disaster," Hajam said, adding that the remaining families need to be shifted to safer places.

Panic As Flood Hits Valley
Flood waters also entered several low-lying areas of Kashmir, including the capital Srinagar, located on the banks of the river Jhelum, forcing thousands from their homes.

"There is panic among the locals," said Tawhid Ahmad of Bemina in the city outskirts, as he recounted how his family moved their household items to the upper floor before fleeing the area when a stream nearby swelled with floodwater.

"The memories of the devastating surge only seven months ago are fresh in our mind. Nobody wants to wait for the government rescue mission this time around," Ahmad said.

Floods in 2014 claimed over 400 lives, displaced hundreds of thousands and caused property losses of around $16 billion.

Kashmir's previous government, led by Omar Abdullah, came under severe criticism for ignoring a government report in 2010 that predicted devastating floods in five years and for its late response to the 2014 floods.

Locals critisized the local and federal government for conducting elections in the region immediately after the floods of 2014 devastated the entire Kashmir.

People in Kashmir say the government had enough time to dredge rivers or streams and unblock the clogged drains but precious time was wasted in the months-long election process while ignoring the post-disaster activities.

"After the 2014 floods people hoped for quick rehabilitation and efforts to de-silt river Jhelum but polls were ordered in haste," Rafiq Ahmad of Srinagar told Vice News.

"Had they de-silted river Jhelum on time, things wouldn't turn ugly today."

The elections resulted in a new government led by the regional People's Democratic Party (PDP) and rightwing Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

More rains
Meteorologists warn that more rain may arrive in the coming days, bringing with it avalanches and mudslides.

"Rains will continue in the next two days and then onwards there will be a considerable improvement in the weather," Sonam Lotus, the region's top meteorologist told Vice News, though he said his forecast estimates have only "70 percent chances to come true".

"Frankly speaking we lack infrastructure in Kashmir to predict the weather system accurately. Just few days ago my office didn't even have a power generator," he said.

"That should tell you under what circumstances we work here."

Experts have warned of more floods in the coming days citing. They say the increased flooding is due to forest decline, unplanned construction on the riverbanks, siltification of major rivers and encroachment of key water bodies.

"If we are lucky this week, the probability of such a flood shall increase with every passing day till September this year," Dr Shakil Romshoo, the region's top glaciologist said.

"This is primarily due to very high groundwater levels all over the Kashmir valley attributed to last year's extreme flooding and the wet March."

Indian officials say they have employed satellite technology to help monitor the situation.

"So far the flooding has affected 12650 hectares of land," Federal minister for atomic research and space Jitendra Singh said.

"Efforts are also going on to acquire more satellite data from other countries under the framework of 'International Charter on Space and Major Disasters' to facilitate frequent and detailed coverage [on the floods]," he said.

Climate change remains a key issue for the region worn-out by 26 years of armed conflict between Indian soldiers and about a dozen rebel groups fighting  for independence or a merger of the disputed territory with Pakistan.

Kashmir remains split between Pakistan and India since their independence from Britain six decades ago, and both the south Asian nuclear rivals claim the Himalayan territory in full.

Follow Baba Umar on Twitter: @BabaUmarr