02 November 2014
By Tariq A. Al Maeena Srinagar, the capital of Jammu and Kashmir was the hardest hit with the city almost completely submerged in the flooding, leaving more than a million residents paralysed from their normal daily activities. According to some reports, the Kashmir Valley was cut off from the rest of the world for days. Along with Srinagar, thousands of villages were also reported as being submerged. Hundreds of thousands of people, particularly in the rural areas, still remain trapped without any outside help or rescue and relief. As a blow back in such cases, communication networks quickly disappeared leaving no means of contact between the stranded with their loved ones. The actual magnitude of the destruction, the number of dead and the people who are missing may not be known for some time. There were allegations that relief efforts were slow and the state government offered no immediate response to the calamity. Compounding the human misery was the evident the lack of boats, which forced people to linger on their rooftopsto avoid the ravaging floods as they waited for someone to rescue them.
According to a Reuters report on
September 13, 2014, almost two weeks after the floods,
"residents stranded for days by the floodwaters said
that the Indian army has selectively evacuated
tourists and people according to a preset priority
list, leaving locals to be rescued later by
volunteers". Such charges enraged a population whose
struggle for their own identity has been well recorded
historically. Even the state government came under
heavy criticism for its apparent failure to address
the calamity in a rapid manner. Sunita Narain, an environmental activist based in Delhi also faults the state government for gross negligence and not having the foresight to predict that such a disaster was in the offing. "Kashmir's unusually high rainfall was only part of the problem. The state does not have a flood forecasting system or capacity for disaster preparedness. Most of the natural drainage channels have been destroyed due to utter mismanagement. The traditional system of flood management was to channel the water from the Himalayas into lakes and water channels. But over time, we have forgotten the art of drainage — we only see land for building, nothing for water. It is time we read the writing on the wall." But such a seemingly tepid relief response from both the authorities did not deter the thousands of Kashmiri youth who came to the rescue of the stranded and the homeless. Braving conditions that were perilous to their own lives, these young Kashmiris transcended all barriers of religion and caste as they rendered assistance to Muslims, Hindus and others caught in the middle of the disaster. They were not selective about saving lives. Nor did they politicise their brave efforts. They stepped up for the cause of humanity.
Even beyond their borders, the
selflessness and commitment of these Kashmiri youth to
give a helping hand to folks back home was evident. In
the United States and elsewhere, youth of Kashmiri
heritage had taken on the extraordinary task of
initiating relief and disaster activity as well with
very little global media coverage or awareness. As Dr.
Fai says, "They did it irrespective of their
ideological preferences or cultural affiliations or
regional backgrounds. They do have limited resources,
but their eagerness to work has proved to be
exemplary. They are a few hundred dedicated group of
volunteers from all over the world. Their dedication
and selflessness need to be highlighted. They have a
clear objective. They are trying to establish relief
camps and shelters, provide life saving medicines,
clean water, food and clothes to the needy."
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