People living in the low-lying areas of Kashmir, including Srinagar city, heaved a sigh of relief on Sunday as a flood threat eased due to a dip in the water level in the Jhelum river following improvement in weather conditions, officials said here. “The weather is improving and the water level will drop, but those living in low-lying areas should take precautionary measures at least for Sunday. Rains are expected in South Kashmir over the next 24 hours but not of the same intensity as on Saturday. The danger of flood is also receding,” Farooq Ahmad Bhat, a meteorologist associated with the India Meteorological Department (IMD), said.
Jhelum has been flowing above the danger mark at Sangam in Anantnag and Ram Munshi Bagh in Srinagar since Saturday, bringing back the nightmares of 2014 when massive floods inundated vast areas of the Valley.