Disaster Management Assignment

Topic:Jammu & Kashmir Floods 2014

National Institute of Technology, Calicut

Department of Civil Engineering

Submitted by:Kumar Priyam -B180254CE

Kurakula Venkata Sai Abhijith-B180812CS
Keerthana K P -B170943CE
Komarolu Anurag -B181124BT
Mathireddy Chinna Raja -B180851EE
This is the worst flood the state has witnessed in the past 60 years, affecting close to 5
million people in Kashmir valley and half a million in the Jammu region. By this report
we will be attempting to summarize –Phase 01 actions in the state of Jammu & Kashmir,
India in the aftermath of the incessant rains in catchments of river Jhelum and Ravi,
and the subsequent embankment breaches which caused massive floods in the first
week of September 2014.

CONTENT

1. Management Summary
2. Background
3. Relief Measures GO & NGO
4. Inherent capacities- traditional knowledge
5. Field Assessment
6. Sector Wise Needs Emerging
a. Food Security and Livelihoods
b. Water Sanitation and Hygiene
c. Health
d. Shelter
e. Protection
f. Education
7. Recommendations
a. Food security and Livelihoods
b. WASH
c. Health
d. Shelter
e. Protection
f. Education
 8. Assessment Methodology
a. Tools
b. Training on JRNA Tools- Jammu and Sri Nagar
c. Field Assessment
d. Debriefing by the field assessment team

Chapter-1: Management Summary

Figure 1:Regions of jammu and kashmir which were affected by flood.

Jammu and Kashmir experienced heavy monsoon rains that began on September 2,
2014 and led to unprecedented widespread flooding and landslides across the state.
Banks of the river Jhelum, Chenab, Tawi and many other streams burst. The worst
affected districts are Srinagar, Anantnag, Baramulla, Pulwama, Ganderbal,
Kulgam, Budgam, Rajouri, Poonch and Reasi. Links of Kashmir Valley were
disrupted and the 300- km- long national highway was closed for vehicular traffic
from the 7th September as a result of landslides and floods. As many as 60 major and
minor roads have been cut off and over 30 bridges washed away, hampering
the relief and rescue operations. Except for connectivity between Srinagar and North
Kashmir’s Ganderbal district, all other districts of the valet including Anantnag,
Pulwama, Kulgam, Shopian, Badgam, Baramulla and Bandipora were cut off.

Chapter-2: Background

Heavy rainfall has caused:

1. Widespread flooding in the Jammu & Kashmir Valley.
2. Flash flooding with localized damage across the state.
3. Landslides, which impacted on communities and road connectivity.
Flood waters from Jhelum River breached embankments in many low-lying areas in
Kashmir, including the capital Srinagar and Tawi River in Jammu forcing people to
move to safer places.

Prioritization of Humanitarian Needs

 Figure 2:Statistics of the disaster effect on human lives.

As of 16 September 2014, 190 people and 78 people have been reported dead in Jammu
and Kashmir division respectively. As per the preliminary information of Government
9,814 residential houses were fully damaged and 23,763 partially in Jammu region. The
preliminary information available from Kashmir says that 103,938 pucca houses are
fully damaged, 64,176 pucca houses are partially damaged, 7,372 kuccha houses are fully
damaged and 9,220 kuccha houses are partially damaged. Over 234 relief camps were
installed in the state and 23,900 people were rehabilitated from the Jammu region only.

Chapter-3: Relief Measures Taken by GO and NGO

The Govt. has started over 87 camps in Jammu and over 147 (excluding Srinagar,
Banidipora and Kupwara) in Kashmir division. Distributed 250 tents, 250 blankets and
700 Qtls of rice in Baramulla, 546 tents, 36 bundles (blankets) and 92 Qtls of rice in
Budgam, 1 tent, 517 blankets, 40 Qtls of rice, 1.60 Qtls of pulses in Shopian, 1800
blankets in Ganderbal, 423 tents, 9125 blankets in Anantnag, 03 ton of ration and 3000
tarpaulin in Rajouri, Utensils, Food, Milk, Books, Pencils in Udhampur, 35-50 kg. atta
to affected communities in Jammu District. Over 20908 people were evacuated and
23900 were rehabilitated in the Jammu region. India Army rescued persons at the
earliest through airlifting and supported them with Boats, Pumps, JCB, Constructed 3-4
floating bridges, repaired roads and supplied water in Jammu region.

Chapter-4: Inherent capacities- traditional

knowledge
It was found that carpet weaving, carpentry and handicrafts are the skills that exist
within the community members mainly among women and girls. Although the tools
have been lost for carpet weaving, carpentry and handicrafts, once the tools are
available, the work can be resumed. The assessment teams found that there is
community willingness to address WASH under proper guidance. Even the school
teachers are willing to start the education as soon as school buildings are cleaned and
repaired. There is a practice of storing rice at home for a long time, and this helped the
communities to survive when they were trapped at various places before they could be
rescued. In some parts of urban areas like Srinagar, some of the affected households
have their savings which will help them recover. People who are dependent on tourism
are expecting speedy recovery.

Chapter-5: Field Assessment

The Joint Rapid Needs Assessment (JRNA) covered 108 villages from the worst affected
districts of Jammu and Kashmir. Out of 108 villages assessed by the team, water level
was more than 3 feet in 62 villages and has entered into the houses in 87 villages. Team
reported that 86% of the wards are affected and major damages to shelter, water and
sanitation facilities, crop/agriculture land and education.
 Figure 3: Rapid Joint Needs Assessment Areas.

Chapter-6: Sector Wise Needs Emerging

I. Food Security and Livelihoods:

Situation Analysis (based on observation and field visit reports)
A. Agriculture is the main livelihood of the families in the villages, except for
very few families with job holders.
B. The paddy seed beds were lost due to inundation, standing crops have
been damaged and stored grains/ food stocks lost, raising food security
concerns.
C. In view of the winter season, people prioritize repairing and cleaning their
houses now, thus impacting their daily wages.
D. The paddy straw is used as feed for their livestock, which is completely
damaged. So there is a likelihood of shortage of fodder for livestock
especially during winters.
E. The major impact of the flood is seen in case of livelihoods and livestock
(cattle). Many households own agricultural land.
F. Community has a habit of storing grains for the winter season when the
temperature is below freezing point. Even the poorest families with small
tracts of land store all the food they grow (as opposed to selling them in
the market) for winter, and engage themselves in wage labor, or other
activities like being a driver, tourism operator, running a shop etc. for the
rest of the year.
G. Floods had a major impact on livestock, with losses of cows, sheeps and
goats. Most of the people in assessed villages have lost one or two of their
livestock.
H. No other supplementary nutritional support from the government as Dal,
pulses and during winter only a few green vegetables will be available.
I. The usual diet is 3 meals a day and now they are getting 1-2 meals per day.
There is no special nutritional provision for children or nursing mothers &
pregnant women in the camp.
J. The ICDS centers in all the villages are affected by flood water, hence
closed. All the supplementary nutrition and food grains have been
damaged completely. It will not open for another 15 days due to water
logging and massive silt deposition.
K. Ration is supplied by the District Administration in the relief camps but
most of the food packets are supplied by local Mohallas and Gurudwaras
including NGOs.
 L. The Government has announced free rice for six months (Total 250 Kg’s
for six months). The household size is averaged at 5.91; therefore this is
not sufficient in quantity and does not provide the diversity of food
consumption required.
M. Rates of food items have increased tremendously in the state and shortage
of essential commodities can be seen.
N. Vegetable and horticulture industry has also been severely damaged
causing a severe shortage of vegetables in the market.
O. Tourism is one of the most important sources of livelihoods (earnings)
which is most affected. September is the peak season and has been
stopped, thus leading to reduced incomes.
P. In urban areas especially Srinagar, business communities received major
losses, there is a very strong need for a humane financial package for the
business community for the kind of losses they have faced.
Assessment Findings
A. Food Security:
a. 82.3% of families reported that their stocks were severely
destroyed.
b. 77.7 % of families reported that their remaining food stocks will last
for less than a week, which can result in less food consumption.
c. 77.7 % of families reported that households will not be able to cook
food/boil water. This is due to lack of utensils and fuel to cook food
or boil water.
d. 68.3 % of women are without safe and private places to breastfeed,
putting children at risk of improper breastfeeding.
e. 38 respondents ( 57.3%) mentioned that their food stocks got
destroyed because of the floods. 16 respondents said that the
damages caused due to the disaster were severe and 24 respondents
rated it as moderate, and that their stocks will last for less than a
week.
 f. 27 respondents said that there was a significant decrease in food
that females eat and 25 respondents mentioned the same for males
and Children.
B. Food Consumption:
a. The data is showing an alarming rate of change in food
consumption. In total almost 86% respondents from Kashmir,
including men, women and children responded to the decrease of
food consumption after floods. In 5 districts almost 100%
respondents mentioned that their food consumption level
decreased after the floods.
b. In Jammu, 35.7% of villages saw a decrease in food consumption
for children under the age of five, and 59.3% for children as
compared with the normal situation.
c. ICDS facilities need to be equipped with malnutrition monitoring
tools like MUAC tapes in order to keep check on the issue of
malnutrition among women and children especially.
C. Agricultural produce:
a. Floods arrived at the most crucial time since it was time for
harvesting of rice and apples. Of the 68 villages, consistent data was
available for 49 villages on the agricultural produce that was
damaged.
b. About 139,413 kanals of land or 17,426 acres was completely
destroyed in the floods.
c. Of the 68 villages, 57 reported that paddy to be one of the most
important crops for them. Of these 57 villages, 15 villages reported
paddy as the single most important crop for them. These were in
Anantnag, Bandipora, Kulgam and Pulwama.
d. The other crops mentioned as important have apples, vegetables
and maize. 11 villages mentioned apples as one of the main crops
along with rice.
 e. Vegetables were reported as important crops alongside paddy
and/or apples in 31 villages, particularly Shopian, Anantang and
Budgam.
f. Loss of walnut trees was mentioned in 5 villages- 2 in Anantnag and
one each in Budgam, Shopian and Kulgam.
g. Other produce that was mentioned as affected were potatoes,
mustard, pulses and pears. But these were reported in only some
villages leading to an inference that these are not staple foods, but
are choices of some farmers in some of the sample villages.
D. Market Analysis and Accessibility of Nutritional Programme:
a. Flood affected availability of food in the market resulting in
increase of food prices. 90.8% reported that the cost of food
increased manifold.
b. As most of the areas where inundated resulted in less access to
markets. 67% of respondents said that markets were inaccessible
and 58 % respondents said that accessible markets were running
out of stock, which may reduce food security.
c. Out of 68 respondents, 57 respondents mentioned that their ICDS
and health centers were affected by the disaster; only 11 mentioned
that these facilities were not affected by the disaster. 62.7%
respondents said that the cost of food has increased tremendously.
d. 8.3% respondents mentioned that markets were functioning in their
village, which means for most of the people markets were not
functioning, 81.5 % respondents said that markets were running out
of stock.
E. Livestock:
a. The analysis shows that more deaths to livestock happened in
Kashmir division compared to Jammu division. 42.6 % respondents
said that they witnessed loss of livestock compared to 7.5% in
Jammu division.
 b. 73.5 % respondents in the Kashmir division said that availability of
fodder for domestic animals has been affected severely. 55%
respondents in the Jammu division said the same.
c. There are indications of rice being charged at 50 INR/kg and
cylinder at 450 INR in Srinagar. Further most of the line
departments indicated that they have not received any such GO in
this regard, and hence its not free and it's only 35 kgs and not 50
kgs even.
d. For 84.8 % of the assessed population markets were inaccessible.

II. Water Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH):

Situation Analysis
A. The major water sources are bore wells, natural springs, and pipe water
supply.
B. The common bore well uses Mark – II hand pumps; there are also popular
– VI hand pumps in the valley. All of which were submerged completely in
water logged areas – for example in South Kashmir districts (Anantnag
and Pulwama) and Srinagar.
C. The other type of water source is the government supply system through
pipelines which are presently dysfunctional due to inundation and
clogging.
 D. The third type of source is an underground aquifer with boring and natural
flow of water to the surface without a motor pump; the turbidity of some of
these sources is found to be high.
E. Large sections of flood affected areas continue to be waterlogged.
F. Sanitation is a main issue in Srinagar city and northern affected districts
especially when people have already started cleaning their houses.
G. In Srinagar the entire water filtration and distribution systems in all major
hospitals was paralysed and yet to be fully functional. As administrative
offices were also under water, the debris cleaning process started very slow
and later. This has a severe potential for health hazards.
Assessment Findings:
A. 53% of villages indicated that water sources had been damaged. Before the
flood 63% of villages used piped water as the primary source of water,
whereas after the flooding this was down to 17%. Currently 13% of villages
use wells, 29% ponds, 30% tubewells, and 12% other sources.
B. 85% of villages indicated that sanitation facilities had been damaged and
59% of the villages are primarily practicing open defecation.
C. In a smaller sample of villages where water testing was done in South
Kashmir, turbidity of water in hand pumps and boring underground water
is very high, between 50 NTU to 300 NTU. Total Dissolved Solid (TDS) is
found to be in the range of 394 to 550 – on the higher side. Iron content is
high in some hand pumps.
D. Drinking water has been distributed by unaffected communities from
neighboring villages, Public Health Engineering Department (PHE) and
Army. Turbidity is found to be within the acceptable level in such water
supply. The water distributed by the PHE and army for drinking purposes
are not chlorinated. However, chlorine tablets for high volume of water are
reported to be distributed by the department. A variety of water treatment
systems (chlorine and halogen) are being provided to the communities.
E. The public water distribution system is yet to be restored in most affected
villages in three South Kashmir districts. The PHE department is likely to
take at least a month to restore the major distribution systems. In
 SriNagar, many pockets are attained restored water supply line but the cut
off where major breaches occurred (during the floods and post) will need
around 2-3 weeks before proper supply is restored – (areas like Kursu,
Natipora, Rajbagh etc.) the residual chlorine levels in the official water
supply lines has improved (25-27 Sept).
F. General practices of storing water are: in metal pitchers (Kolshi), Jerry
cans, plastic bottles and buckets and other household utensils. Water
handling practice is observed to be not entirely safe as it is exposed to
contamination through various means. Some households have small water
tanks. No water treatments are being used or available to households at
present. The water distribution through tankers is also likely to get
contaminated during unsafe handling. 53% of villages indicated that they
did not have enough water storage containers.
G. Across the urban pockets, most shelters had latrine structures, which are
now damaged or washed away. There are no temporary latrines available
to affected populations who are still in their villages. Latrines in the camps
are not sufficient and after use for a longer period, many of those are filled
up. Open defecation is being practiced now widely due to unavailability of
facilities, especially in low lying villages in Pulwama, Anantnag and also in
affected areas of Bandipora and Baramulla. For women particularly this is
a problem and issue of dignity.
H. Some households have built temporary bathing spaces but most people do
not.
I. The major challenges are cleaning the houses, pumping of the stagnant
water and debris cleaning and disposal. People have started cleaning their
houses after water receded. They are washing household items especially
the furnishings in flood waters. However, the villages which are low lying
will need extensive debris cleaning and sometimes with machines. There is
no initiative from the government at present for debris cleaning.
Hundreds of carcasses of poultry, stray dogs and other animals are in the
water in Srinagar.
J. Field assessments across the city of SriNagar, in Kursu, Hamdania colony,
Lasjan, Bemina colony, Natipura, Naugam, Kinhama showed that most of
the septic tanks were silted, the households have not had the time or the
technical support to inspect such structures as they are busy with other
critical actions of debris clearing and washing of the premises, once the
electricity and water supply is restored, the use of the latrines and
household water based usage will substantially increase putting a very
heavy load on the drainage and sewerage structures. This is coming out as
a very critical need as the availability of bowzers to clear out the feces is
limited and with the winter less than one month away this is a critical
action.
K. Most of the affected urban pockets due to the high density have had water
source contamination due to the mixing of the overflowing sewerage and
hence most of the assessed water sources were compromised.
L. Hand washing materials are not available at present. During interviews
women had expressed a need for a sanitary pad which they do not have
access to currently. There is also a need for soap, and diapers for children.
Women accessing food and sanitation facilities in Army camps expressed
that they do not feel comfortable to go there to use latrine and bathing
places.
M. Hand washing materials are not available at present. During interviews
women had expressed a need for a sanitary pad which they do not have
access to currently. There is also a need for soap, and diapers for children.
Women accessing food and sanitation facilities in Army camps expressed
that they do not feel comfortable to go there to use latrine and bathing
places.
N. Some parts of Srinagar (Lalchowk, Jawahar Nagar, Bemina) district
continue to be waterlogged even after 17 days of the floods and at risk of
disease outbreak. Flood water is stagnated and receding slowly in many
low lying villages in South Kashmir; however some parts of affected North
Kashmir districts and Srinagar are still under water.
 O. Siltation has occurred in villages near to the River Jhelum. Due to the
heavy deposition of silt, which is up to 3 feet in few villages in Pulwama
district, clearing of debris is posing a major problem. Village level
institutions like schools have also not started in most villages due to debris
deposited in the establishments. Many local shops and businesses are
under water for more than two weeks now. Besides the current
humanitarian needs, people are worried about the long term impact of this
disaster in their lives.
P. Poor menstrual hygiene – use of cloth mostly now; bathing & toilets is a
problem in camps and in water logged areas. A WASH Surveillance grid
needs to be put up urgently to alert any disease outbreak especially in the
close urban pockets and the remote areas as both these clusters are in high
risk of rapid spread and no reporting respectively. In the sample villages,
59% of women use cloth, and 38% use sanitary napkins for menstrual
hygiene.
Urgent needs:
A. A growing number of people who do not have access to safe water are in
urgent need of a range of WASH support, including clean water, hygiene
kits, purification materials and various WASH NFIs. Disease surveillance
continues to point towards a rising trend of diarrheal disease, skin
infection and respiratory disease in affected areas. As in most other
sectors, WASH needs are particularly acute in Srinagar city, Baramola and
Bandipora in North Kashmir and also in South Kashmir.
B. One woman in a camp in Rajouri district said “The immediate need for us
right now is food, latrine and bathing facilities. Although we have not
faced any problem, we do not feel comfortable going to camps for taking
baths or using the latrines. There is no privacy and we don’t feel safe in
camps. Our children can’t go to school in these conditions. We don’t know
what our future is, how long we will be here in the camps.” Both men and
women expressed that they want to cook food, but they do not have
utensils and fuel for cooking.
 C. Government continues to pump out water from water logged areas and
flooded areas. Additional pumps have been installed across the city-
although the field assessment clearly indicated the need for more.
D. Debris cleaning is a major concern and problem within the communities,
especially in urban and peri-urban areas of Srinagar.

III. Health:
Situation Analysis:
A. The overall health infrastructure and system in Kashmir region is badly
affected. Equitable access to health facilities is a big concern.
B. The lack of access to healthcare from PHC, AWC, Rural Health Providers,
attributed to facilities being affected and reduced staffing levels as staff
and their families themselves being affected.
C. Health camps are concentrated in urban pockets of Srinagar, the
appropriate and equitable health services not available.
D. Drugs and essential medical reserves have been affected; the supplies in
general are in shortage in Kashmir valley and in medical camps due to lack
of coordination and effective supply chain management for medical
camps.
E. Health surveillance is largely missing. The organized and unorganized
medical camps are not in coordination loop and information on health
surveillance and utilization status is not being maintained.
F. Poor water, sanitation and hygiene conditions are increasing health risks
for the spread of communicable diseases and epidemics. The appropriate
 measures for information and awareness of people to prevent
communicable diseases are not in place.
G. High incidence of UTI reported among women by Anganwadi workers.
H. The routine immunization and newborn care is also under pressure in
existing health facilities.

Assessment Findings:

A. In the GB Pant Hospital, the flood waters, which stayed on for 10 days,
have damaged key equipment, especially ventilators, radian warmers,
incubators and oxygen concentrators.
B. However, the District Hospital, which suffered no damage is now
overloaded. From an average of 10 deliveries per day, the Hospital is
witnessing upwards of 100 deliveries per day, the wards are crowded, and
at least babies each are on the 2 functioning radiant warmers.
The Sick Neonatal Care Unit is barely functional, with limited staff and
equipment.
IV. Shelter:
Situation Analysis:
A. As the winter season approaches and the environment in this area becomes
much colder, shield has become one of the most pressing concerns of the
impacted populations. Almost every home in the communities studied has had
widespread damage, which might be total or partial. The majority of the
structures are composed of mud and brick, with a wood outline and CGI sheets
for decoration. The houses that have not fallen are not very secure due to water
logging within the communities for 12-15 days. The majority of the dwellings have
become dangerous. The people who have been influenced are afraid of living in
such houses since they don't know when they may collapse.

Assessment Findings:

A. With the floods, the traditional method of using outside brick mortar with
inside mud is being put to the test, and the buildings that are still standing may
not be very effective once winter arrives. Vulnerable homeowners have voiced
concerns about the load-bearing ability of the damaged roofs.
B. Water had entered the dwellings in 79 percent of the villages examined, and
flooding had entered the villages in 54 percent. The sample comprised
communities that had been severely damaged as well as villages that had been
somewhat affected. Water levels climbed over 3 feet in 53% of villages, while 30
percent of villages had water levels between 1-3 feet.
C. There is a large accumulation of silt owing to flood water in homes built with
cement and concrete that have suffered minimal or no damage. Cleaning trash
and silt deposits is necessary.
D. Because the winter is so harsh, the displaced individuals are worried about
being exposed to rain, cold, and snow. People who have lost their homes are
seeking refuge in religious structures, school buildings, relatives' homes in
another community, or in an open location, erecting impromptu temporary
shelters. Many children and the elderly have been moved to relatives in locations
not affected by the floods.
 Urgent Needs :

A. According to the DC Office, 1755 residential properties were damaged in

the Baramulla area. There are 695 non-residential units. Many settlements
remain entirely submerged in the floodwaters.
B. In Shopian, 62 families have been displaced and are in need of immediate
shelter, 1307 houses have been seriously damaged and are on the verge of
collapsing, and 19 huts have been damaged.

V. Protection:

Assessment Findings:

A. Lack of access to the availability of safe and private latrines, particularly for
women and girls, has led them to use open defecation, which is made worse by
the fact that they are more vulnerable during floods.
B. Children are unable to attend school as a result of unprecedented and large-scale
displacement, and hence remain isolated from their peers. This causes tension
and adds to the psychological and social load.
C. As schools are closed due to destruction caused by the floods, children remain
vulnerable to abuse and exploitation. However, 10% communities expressed that
the children are exposed to physical, sexual and emotional abuse
D. Some families were broken up during the evacuation and relocation in the
impacted villages; as a result, 10% of localities reported cases of unaccompanied
 children. Adolescent females in Anantnag expressed anxiety that they would be
forced to work as housemaids outside of their community.
E. Women and girls from relocated families said they feel safe at home, but they are
concerned about staying in camps, particularly because of police and other
"onlookers" from other communities.
F. The issue of migrant workers from Bihar, Chhattisgarh, and Bangladesh was also
brought up. They lived on the streets because they were considered "outsiders"
and thus were not accepted and discriminated against by the general public.
When they sought safety in makeshift shelters, students reported being booted
out of their schools.

Urgent Needs :

A. Cubicles for women and adolescent girls to use for bathing privacy and period
hygiene procedures.
B. Seek support from existing Child Protection Committees (wherever functional) to
support activities of CFS as well monitoring on a day to day basis.
C.

Chapter-7: Assessment Methodology

Sphere India as a collaborative effort has facilitated JRNA in Jammu and Kashmir
which was earlier tested and followed in Odisha and UP floods 2014. As the accessibility
was an issue, rapid assessment report version I and II was released respectively before
actual JRNA to provide a common understanding of impact of floods and landslides

A. Training on RJNA process and tools

B. Identification of worst affected districts based on primary and secondary data.
C. RJNA Team building and planning
D. Identification of worst affected Tehsils/Blocks/Halka Panchayat/village in
consultation with
Deputy Commissioners/District EOC/Emergency Officer/BDO/NGOs
 E. Field assessment with FGD, interview’s, Geo-tagging pictures
F. Debriefing by the field assessment team
G. Data entry/compilation
H. Data analysis and Reporting
I. Dissemination of report at state and national level for planning the response

Tools:

a. District JRNA Tool

b. Village JRNA Tool
c. Guidance Note on how to use the tool

Training on JRNA Tools- Jammu and Sri Nagar

a. Training on RJNA tool was organised at Srinagar on 18th September.

b. Training on RJNA tool was organised at Jammu on 19th September.
Photographs from the Field: