Pulwama/Shopian, Sep 27: Mohammad Hussain Khan has pitched a tent on the banks of the RomshiNallah in Karemabad area of south Kashmir’s Pulwama district, where he has been living with his family for the past several years.
For Khan, heavy rainfall brings a familiar fear. As the river swells and its currents turn stronger, the tent where his family lives becomes vulnerable to sudden flooding.
“Over the last few years, we have seen the river flowing fast and rising dangerously many times, but nobody has taken care of us or relocated us to a safer place,” Khan said.
Khan is among hundreds of people living in makeshift tents and hutments along the RomshiNallah, Rambiara and other riverbanks in Pulwama and Shopian districts.
Many of those living in such temporary settlements belong to the Gujjar and Bakerwal communities. People from outside Jammu and Kashmir, including those from Bihar, West Bengal and Rajasthan, are also living in tents along the riverbanks.
The settlements have become increasingly vulnerable amid episodes of heavy rainfall, cloudbursts and flash floods. Sudden rises in water levels can leave people living close to the river with little time to move their belongings or seek shelter.
“We want to be shifted to any safer place. We know the risks involved in living on a riverbank, but we have no choice,” Khan said.
In Shopian, makeshift tents and hutments can be seen along the Rambiara, an important tributary of the Jhelum. Some temporary structures have come up extremely close to the river channel, leaving their occupants exposed whenever the water level rises.
“We are poor people. Where will we go? We know the water could wash our tents away with our families inside, but what can we do?” said a non-local resident living in one of the tents.
For many of the people living in these settlements, shifting to safer locations is difficult because they lack alternative accommodation or land. Some depend on seasonal work and other forms of livelihood that keep them close to these areas.
Residents say they are not unaware of the danger. They have witnessed the rivers swell during heavy rain and know that a sudden rise in water can threaten their lives. But without an affordable alternative, they continue to live along the riverbanks.
The situation also raises concerns about the vulnerability of temporary settlements in areas prone to flash floods. While riverbanks have traditionally been used by some communities for temporary habitation, extreme weather events can turn these locations into high-risk zones.
Residents say authorities should identify vulnerable settlements along the rivers and provide safer places for people living in the most exposed areas.
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