J-K: NDRF conducts safety awareness programme at Ramban school

Ramban (Jammu and Kashmir) [India], October 11 (ANI): The 13th Battalion of National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), with the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) and Mahila Disaster Management Committee (MDMC), conducted a school safety awareness programme demonstrating preventive measures and response techniques during disasters.
The programme was held at the Government Model Higher Secondary School, Ramban.
13th Battalion n NDRF SI Kamta Thakur said that the programme will run for 15 days. He also expressed concern over the occurrence of landslides and cloudbursts during the monsoon.
"During the monsoon season, there are a lot of cloudbursts and landslides. By going to each school in every district, we are conducting this awareness program for the students... This is a 15-day program..."
The region has witnessed continuous heavy rainfall in recent days, resulting in swollen rivers and flash flood-like conditions across multiple districts of Jammu and Kashmir, including Ramban. Authorities are monitoring the situation closely to prevent further damage.
Also, the region is prone to seismic activity, and the Kashmir Valley is a high-risk zone for earthquakes. Most of the Kashmir Valley falls within Seismic Zone 5, which is considered a very high-risk zone. This zone is characterised by a high potential for strong earthquakes.
Meanwhile, farmers in Chanthal village of Udhampur have alleged that a crucial canal, maintained by the Jammu and Kashmir Power Development Corporation (JKPDC), becomes clogged with sewage and garbage from an overhead railway line, causing it to overflow into their farms, especially after heavy rains, and resulting in distress and financial losses.
A farmer from Chanthal village, Ganesh Dutt, told ANI, "... The railway line's drain opens into our land. We ask them to extend it further, but they say they can't build beyond the boundary. The water from it damages our crops... We planted 1.5 kanals of paddy, and it was all ruined... This drain was built by the JKPDC. But it's not their water, it's the railway's that flows from here..."
Another farmer from Chanthal village, Vikas Sharma, accused the administration of negligence while speaking with ANI on Saturday.
"The JKPDC has built a canal here. All of its water, the railway's water, comes through this canal. All of the railway's waste is dumped here through it. When it rains, it overflows and ends up in our fields. We even requested their engineers to look at these drains, but no one from their department came... I request that the JKPDC and DC pay attention to this matter. With the amount of plastic that accumulates here, it doesn't seem that plastic has been banned..." (ANI)