Baramulla’s Gutyar village struggles with inadequate drainage system

Baramulla, Apr 30: The residents of Gutyar village in north Kashmir’s Baramulla district said they are experiencing inconveniences due to the inadequate drainage system.
They said the hilly road connecting Gutyar village to National Highway Khawaja Bagh remains extensively waterlogged at the base of the hills after every spell, forcing pedestrians to take different routes.
At the base of the hills, two small walkways diverge. Nearly seventeen years back the path on the right was a watercourse, which was transformed by the PDP government into walkways with an underground drainage system and manholes in place. The walkway provides a shortcut to Fatehpora village.
“The runoff water from Fatehpora village is intentionally directed to the drain for proper disposal. However, due to the poorly designed system, the walkways turn into the watercourse again on rainy days as water overflows from the underground drain along with waste matter,” said Suhail Gani, who works at the Central University of Kashmir.
He said the ambiguous gate of four houses lies on the same walkway. People often remove manholes themselves so the water accumulated on the road can get in, he said
Suhail claimed he raised several complaints about the issue with government offices, but to no avail. “The underground drain lasted just for two years. After that, It faces blockage due to trash and mud. Despite my repeated complaints at government offices, nothing has changed,” he added.
According to locals, last year, it was cleaned by the government as it faced blockage. “However, it is not a permanent solution. This watercourse is much larger as compared to the main drain,” they said.
The residents said the overwhelmed drains direct trash-laden water to Gutyar-Khawaja Bagh road. The runoff water from Gutyar village also accumulates at the base of the hills in significant amounts, causing flood-like situations during heavy rainfall, they said.
Mir Hashim Ul Hassan, who runs a grocery shop on the Gutyar-Khawaja Bagh road said he experienced considerable loss in business as customers faced hardship to reach his shop amid waterlogging.
“As a shopkeeper, I have to visit here daily; however, waterlogging forces me to take another route. The same happens with my customers as they face hardship to reach my shop,” he lamented.
Hassan added, “Sometimes run-off water enters my shop and leaves trash and mud on the road and entrance, which our community members have to clean themselves or hire a sweeper. Once I used a trowel to get mud separated from the floor of my shop.”
When contacted, Assistant Executive Engineer (AEE) R&B Baramulla, Shakeel Sofi said they have already submitted the proposal to the higher authorities and are awaiting approval.
“As soon as our proposal gets approved, we will issue a tender in a week and do whatever is required to improve the situation,” the AEE said.