Why Srinagar Continues To Drown

The sight of Srinagar’s roads turning into rivers after just a few hours of rainfall has become a depressingly familiar monsoon ritual. Monday’s downpour submerged key areas, leaving commuters stranded, businesses counting losses and residents questioning. Over 792 crore rupees has been spent under the Srinagar Smart City Project since its inception, while the overall proposal envisages projects worth more than 3,600 crore rupees. The Centre also sanctioned nine stormwater drainage projects worth 76.79 crore rupees under the AMRUT scheme. Yet, after every heavy spell, the city’s drainage system fails spectacularly. What makes this crisis particularly infuriating is the passing of the buck. The Srinagar Smart City Limited distances itself, saying the inundated roads were “not executed” by them. The Roads & Buildings Department built this stretch. The existing drainage network was already there. Everyone points fingers. Everyone denies responsibility. Meanwhile, citizens wade through knee-deep water, patients struggle to reach hospitals and schoolchildren remain stranded. The Srinagar Municipal Commissioner blames the rainfall for exceeding the drainage capacity. This is not an acceptable answer when the city has been redeveloped under a flagship central mission, and when over 800 crore rupees of public money has been spent on infrastructure projects. If the drainage capacity is still inadequate, why was it not addressed? If the affected roads were outside Smart City’s scope, why were they not covered under other schemes? Where is the integrated planning? The government has already ordered an external audit of the Smart City project. This is a welcome step, but it cannot be the only one. What is needed is a comprehensive, time-bound drainage master plan that looks beyond cosmetic beautification and addresses the city’s core infrastructure. Accountability must be fixed. Departments must coordinate. Citizens deserve permanent solutions, not temporary dewatering operations after every shower. Srinagar has the potential to be a world-class city. But it cannot get there on crumbling drainage and institutional apathy. The people who built this city with their taxes demand answers. Will the administration listen, or will they wait for the next rainfall to prove them wrong once again?