Downtown Srinagar Faces Unprecedented Flooding After Rains

A massive civic embarrassment unfolded in Srinagar on Monday as several parts of the city's historic downtown area were inundated following a brief spell of rainfall, raising serious questions over the planning, execution, and accountability of the much-hyped Srinagar Smart City project.

- Observer News Service

In what locals describe as a “first in living memory,” areas such as Kadikadal, Bohrikadal, Safakadal, and Rajourikadal witnessed street-level flooding so severe that water gushed into homes and shops, paralyzing daily life and leaving residents furious.

“This has never happened before, not in the worst of weather, not in decades. What kind of engineering is this where an hour of rain brings the city to its knees?” asked an elderly shopkeeper at Rajouri Kadal.

Residents and traders squarely blamed Srinagar Smart City Limited (SSCL) for the catastrophe, accusing it of relying on cosmetic beautification and faulty infrastructure, rather than real, functional urban planning. They claim the new road constructions lacked adequate drainage outlets, resulting in waterlogging even in previously unaffected zones.