Amid continuous rains, J-K minister directs monitoring of water levels in all major river systems
Srinagar, Aug 24 (PTI): Jammu and Kashmir Jal Shakti Minister Javed Ahmed Rana on Sunday directed officials to ensure round-the-clock monitoring of water levels across all major river systems, with focus on the Jhelum, Ravi and Tawi rivers and their tributaries.
Rana passed the directions at a meeting of officers -- including chief engineers -- held to assess flood preparedness in the wake of torrential rains in most parts of the Union Territory over the last 24 hours.
Authorities have already issued advisories and asked people to stay away from water bodies and landslide-prone areas amid a weather forecast predicting moderate to intense rainfall with possibility of cloudbursts, flash floods and landslides in high altitude areas till August 27.
The minister reviewed readiness and infrastructure needed to handle emergency situations, especially in flood-prone areas across Jammu and Kashmir, an official spokesperson said.
Rana, who also visited the Flood Control and Management Room here, stressed the importance of real-time dissemination of early warning signals to all the departments concerned, agencies and stakeholders to enable swift and coordinated response.
In a major development to boost flood preparedness and communication, the minister was informed that the flood control department, in collaboration with the Information and Forecasting Cell, has developed the Kashmir Flood Watch App.
"This mobile application provides real-time updates on water levels in the Jhelum and its key tributaries, drawing data from a network of automatic water level recorders. The app plays a critical role in issuing early warnings and supporting informed, timely decision-making during emergencies," the spokesperson said.
To ensure an organised and effective flood response, he said an extensive institutional framework has been established. This included a central flood committee, district coordination committees, flood zonal committees, sectors and beats, he said, adding each of these have been assigned specific roles and responsibilities to ensure smooth coordination, resource mobilisation and on-ground execution.
Rana reiterated the Omar Abdullah government's commitment towards safeguarding lives and property through timely interventions, technology-driven solutions and public awareness initiatives.
He urged all the departments and citizens to stay vigilant, cooperate with the authorities and make effective use of the digital tools and real-time updates being provided by the government.
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BJP's Pravesh Wahi elected MCD mayor
New Delhi (PTI): BJP councillor from Rohini East, Pravesh Wahi, was elected mayor of the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) on Wednesday.
Wahi secured 156 votes, with 14 councillors of the Indraprastha Vikas Party backing him. Congress candidate Hazi Zaraf received nine votes.
BJP councillor from Anand Vihar, Monika Pant, was elected deputy mayor with 156 votes.
Jai Bhagwan Yadav from Begumpur and Manish Chadha from Paharganj were elected to the standing committee from the BJP, while AAP councillor Jalaj Chaudhary from Shalimar Bagh was also elected to the MCD panel.
On being elected mayor, Wahi thanked Chief Minister Rekha Gupta and the BJP leadership, saying, "We will clean Delhi in the coming months. We will work for the development of Delhi."
The electoral college for this year's mayoral election comprised 273 votes, including 249 councillors, 14 MLAs nominated by the Delhi Assembly, seven Lok Sabha MPs and three Rajya Sabha members from Delhi. A candidate required 137 votes to win.
The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) abstained from the mayoral polls. Earlier, the party's Delhi unit president Saurabh Bharadwaj said in a statement that the move would allow the BJP to take charge of the civic body and help AAP "expose" the ruling party on governance.
"Despite having power at all levels, the BJP has failed to bring about any change in Delhi. The BJP does not know how to perform. Only AAP knows how to work," Bharadwaj said.
Earlier, AAP controlled the mayoral post, with Mahesh Kumar Khinchi winning the election in November 2024 by just three votes.
The three civic bodies -- East Delhi Municipal Corporation (EDMC), North Delhi Municipal Corporation (NDMC) and South Delhi Municipal Corporation (SDMC) -- were reunified into a single entity on May 22, 2022, as the Municipal Corporation of Delhi.
