Floods Turn J&K into Stinking City

Srinagar: Once famous for its gardens and flowers, a still submerged Srinagar city now presents a grim and nauseating picture of the destruction caused by floods.Localities like Raj Bagh and Jawahar Nagar, once counted among the posh localities of Srinagar, remind of the havoc which began on September 7 night.

The submerged debris, boundary walls, cars and other materials make it difficult for boats to enter the area for relief purposes.Many parts of the city have begun 'stinking' with pungent smell coming from all directions.

"Heaps of trash is decomposing. So are the carcasses of thousands and thousands of dead animals. Human excretion seeping out of septic tanks, is adding to the pungent smell," said Farooq Ahmed, an employee of Srinagar Municipal Corporation.

Aid workers are distributing masks among people to avoid the foul odour, but the masks do not help much.A large number of houses have collapsed and many are on the verge of collapse as floodwaters have weakened these structures.

At many places across the city, stray dogs can be seen feeding on carcasses of dead animals. Many human corpses recovered by rescuers too have been feeded on by the dogs.

"We used to watch dogs eat dead animals and dead humans in only horror movies, not knowing that we will face the similar situation in our lives," said Shezada, a rescue worker.

He said that he along with his team recovered 13 bodies from the ruins of a collapsed house.