It took just one day of rainfall to wash away the lofty claims of urban transformation in Srinagar. Streets submerged, markets paralysed, and pedestrians wading through knee-deep water — this was the scene in a city that aspires to be counted among India’s Smart Cities. The waterlogging that gripped Srinagar after a brief downpour is not merely an inconvenience. It is an indictment of misplaced priorities, half-baked planning, and an alarming lack of accountability.
For a city that has seen crores poured into beautification and so-called “smart infrastructure” — including smart poles, digital billboards, and tiled footpaths — the failure to manage basic drainage speaks volumes. The very roads freshly relaid under the Smart City Mission became miniature canals, as clogged drains overflowed and stagnant water pooled in residential and commercial areas alike. This is not just a failure of engineering — it is a collapse of governance.
Waterlogging in Srinagar is not a new problem. Year after year, residents have raised the issue, urging authorities to overhaul the ageing drainage systems and plan development around the unique topography and water table of the Valley. Yet, what has emerged instead is a race for optics over outcomes — a surface-level overhaul with little thought given to the subterranean systems that actually make a city liveable.
Ironically, the same departments that claim credit for cosmetic upgrades are now quick to point fingers: at contractors, at legacy issues, at “unexpected” rain. But the rain wasn’t unexpected — the real surprise is how little was done to prepare for it. No real-time water discharge systems, no upgraded drainage master plan, and no lessons drawn from similar incidents in the past.
Smartness is not defined by LED lights or mobile apps. A truly smart city is one where basic services function seamlessly, where civic infrastructure holds up under stress, and where development is guided by long-term sustainability — not short-term contracts.
The people of Srinagar deserve better than this annual charade of shock and excuse-making. They deserve a city where a passing shower does not turn roads into rivers. As climate patterns shift and urban pressures mount, the need for resilient, climate-responsive planning has never been greater.
The Smart City Mission was an opportunity — a rare chance to transform Srinagar not just cosmetically, but structurally. Sadly, if a single day of rain is enough to bring the city to a standstill, then the project has not only missed the mark — it has betrayed the very citizens it claimed to serve.
It’s time the administration realises that smartness must begin underground — in drains, pipes, and plans — before it shows up on glossy hoardings. Until then, the slogans of “Naya Kashmir” and “Smart Srinagar” will ring hollow, drowned under the floodwaters of neglect.DD
