Rains, Floods, And A Communication Blackout

The rain that lashed Jammu and Kashmir this week has been called unprecedented. Thirty-eight lives have been lost, 34 of them Vaishno Devi pilgrims who were caught in a cloudburst near Adhkunwari, and flash floods in Doda claimed four more. Homes have been washed away, highways ripped apart, and pilgrims' families are now mourning in Punjab, Delhi, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh.

But while the tragedy unfolded in Jammu, another crisis brewed silently in the Kashmir Valley: On Tuesday afternoon, as the Jhelum swelled close to the danger mark and south Kashmir watched anxiously, both mobile and wired communication collapsed. Calls did not go through, the internet went dark, and stranded people had no way to seek help or inform loved ones. Services returned only erratically by Wednesday afternoon.

This is not a minor technical glitch. Communication is the first line of defence against any disaster. It warns people in time, guides them to safety, allows trapped families to call for help, and lets relief agencies coordinate their response. If it is the first thing to fail when the clouds burst, what does that say about our disaster preparedness?

Officials were quick to give statements, promising monitoring, assuring precautionary measures, directing telecom companies to“restore services immediately.” But these words did not reach people wading through waist-deep water or those stranded on highways. In a natural calamity, action on the ground matters far more than televised reassurances.

The lesson from the Valley is painfully clear. Almost 11 years after the devastating 2014 floods, the government still does not appear to have a resilient emergency communication system. Optical fibre cables cannot be our sole lifeline. Mobile networks must be hardened, satellite-based links should be in place, and contingency protocols need to work without waiting for formal orders. If disaster management begins with a press release, it is already too late.

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