Srinagar, July 16 -- The Comprehensive Flood Management Plan (CFMP), launched in 2015 under the Prime Minister's Development Package, was meant to be the Valley's shield against future disasters. But a decade later, little has changed. Only 80 percent of Phase-1 has been completed, and since then not a single new dredging contract has been floated. This is not just bureaucratic inertie but also the institutional negligence. More so, considering how prone Srinagar and the other parts of Kashmir Valley are to floods.

Dredging can hardly be delayed. It is vital intervention to ensure that the three days of incessant rain doesn't lead to flooding yet again. Jhelum dredging is critical. It is important to intermittently remove silt and debris...