People allege Dal Lake gate kept shut under political ‘pressure, Victims say decision cost them homes, crops and livestock

Srinagar, Sep 4, KNT: The government is facing sharp criticism from inhabitants of flood-affected areas who allege that the failure to open the Dal Lake gate at Ram Munshi Bagh turned a natural crisis into a man-made disaster. Locals claim political pressure and vote bank considerations dictated the decision, leaving dozens of villages inundated and thousands scrambling for safety.

The Jhelum had already crossed the danger mark when, according to experts and locals, the gate should have been opened to ease the pressure. Instead, the authorities chose inaction, a move that people say directly led to the breach and flooding.

Read I Dalgate Bridge Shows Signs of Structural Distress, Immediate Inspection Needed

“This was not negligence, it was a calculated decision. Everyone knows the gate wasn’t opened because of politics. And today, it is our homes, our livestock, our land that are underwater,” said a flood victim from Pampore, standing outside his submerged house.

In Taingan, villagers told the news agency Kashmir News Trust that they had been sacrificed for political gains. “Had the Dal gate been opened, Dal dwellers would have faced inconvenience, but our families, crops and animals would have been saved. The government chose its vote bank over us,” one resident remarked bitterly.

Adding weight to the accusations, the Jammu and Kashmir Lakes Conservation and Management Authority (LCMA) had itself issued a late-night advisory on Wednesday, warning that the Jhelum had crossed the danger level and stating that the Dal gate “may require opening at any time.” Despite this, no action followed and officials have offered no explanation.

The fallout is severe. Shalina and Taingan lie submerged, while Lasjan, Soiteng, Pohru, Kanihama, Shalina, Rakh Shalina, Seerbagh, Sumarbugh, and Nowgam are on the brink of flooding by Thursday evening if levels continue to rise. Locals fear the worst is yet to come.

“This calamity has a political signature on it. What we are facing is not just nature’s fury but the cost of misplaced priorities and official silence,” said a school teacher from Kanihama, who has moved his family to higher ground.

READ I Tarigami demands probe into mass fish mortality in Kashmir’s Dal Lake

The government’s reluctance to clarify why the gate remained shut despite an official advisory has intensified public anger. For many locals, the floods are not simply an act of nature but the result of governance failure.

Vice Chairman, Lakes Conservation and Management Authority, Shahid Saleem, when contacted, ruled out any political interference. He said the advisory was issued merely to alert Dal dwellers about the possible risks due to the rising water level in the Jhelum. According to him, the gate was not opened as the river had already started to recede. “It is our duty to inform Dal dwellers whenever the Jhelum crosses the danger mark, and that is exactly what we did,” Shahid Saleem told KNT.