Jal Shakti Minister Reviews Jehlum Flood Management; Directs 24×7 Monitoring
Srinagar / New Delhi, September 5, 2025 — Jal Shakti Minister Javed Rana on Friday reviewed ongoing flood management operations for the Jehlum river basin and directed departmental officers to maintain continuous, round-the-clock monitoring of vulnerable stretches. The review meeting, chaired by the Minister, focused on immediate response steps, dewatering operations and preventing further inundation following embankment breaches in Budgam district.
During the meeting, Additional Chief Secretary (Jal Shakti) Shaleen Kabra briefed Rana about the recent breach at Shalina-Lasjan (Budgam) and how it affected nearby habitations. Officers presented the current status of rescue, evacuation and water management operations and outlined the short-term actions being executed to protect life and property.
Key directions from the Minister
Rana emphasised swift, coordinated action across departments and ordered:
- 24×7 monitoring of the Jehlum river and its tributaries at critical points;
- deployment of additional men and machinery for dewatering and clearing blocked drainage;
- rapid repair and temporary reinforcement of breached embankments;
- close coordination with district administrations, SDRF, NDRF and local civic bodies for evacuation and relief;
- setting up hotlines and control rooms to assist affected families and to coordinate field response.
Short-term response & long-term measures
Officials informed the Minister that immediate efforts are prioritising life-saving measures — evacuations from inundated pockets, provision of food and medical aid, and opening temporary shelters. Rana also asked teams to ensure safe drinking water provision and medicines reach affected villages, and to keep health departments on standby to contain flood-related disease risks.
Beyond the immediate, the meeting discussed structural and systemic measures: strengthening embankments, upgrading drainage and flood-channel capacity, better river-bank protection systems and improved early-warning mechanisms. The Minister said these long-term steps are essential to reduce future vulnerability and protect livelihoods.
Government commitment
Rana reiterated that the government, under Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, remains fully committed to saving lives and restoring normalcy across affected districts. He underlined that both short-term relief and long-term resilience plans must be pursued in parallel.
On-ground situation
Local officials reported dewatering work in several low-lying habitations where water entered homes and agricultural land. Temporary relief centres have been established in nearby community buildings and schools. The administration is also conducting rapid damage assessments to plan compensation and restoration of essential services such as water, power and road access.
Expert note
Hydrology experts at the meeting stressed the importance of real-time river monitoring, accurate rainfall runoff forecasting and coordinated embankment management — particularly in the upper catchment areas — to prevent sudden breaches and uncontrolled flooding downstream.
Conclusion
With the Jehlum situation evolving, the Minister’s direction for 24×7 monitoring and rapid response aims to minimise harm and speed up restoration. Authorities have been asked to keep local communities informed, to maintain transparency on relief operations and to ensure humanitarian assistance reaches the most vulnerable without delay.
Source: Based on reporting by Rising Kashmir (Read original)
Labels: Jehlum, Flood Management, Jal Shakti, Budgam, Flood Response 2025
Tags: #Jehlum #Floods #JalShakti #Budgam #RisingKashmir
Disclaimer: This article is based on reporting by Rising Kashmir. Jammu News Portal does not assume responsibility for the accuracy of external content.
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