Flood water level rises in Kashmir

The water level in the Dal lake started rising once again on Thursday after fresh rainfall hit the valley, leaving over 2,000 people stranded at the blocked Jammu -Srinagar National Highway.

With the Met department predicting two more days of rainfall, the administration, the Army and the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) are on alert to deal with any emergency.

Meanwhile, tour operators and hoteliers in the state have urged people not to cancel their trips to the valley and said the government and the media are blowing the news of Kashmir floods out of proportion.

Traders from the tourism industry say the recent flash floods in Kashmir have hit the tourism sector badly. Low influx of tourists during the spring has affected their business.

The Jammu and Kashmir assembly yesterday erupted in uproar over the flood situation and the state government's response to the same.

Heavy rains and a landslide in the Valley have killed 17 people so far.

Fifteen people were killed when a hillside collapsed onto a house in Ledhan village, about 40 km (25 miles) from Srinagar, before dawn on Monday. Army and police used shovels and diggers to search for the missing.

Police said two other people died in flash floods in another part of the state.

Hundreds of people have fled their homes as Kashmir's main rivers began to swell and weather forecasters predicted further downpours in the region that was struck by devastating floods just seven months ago.