Earth caves in, sinkhole gulps down water of Brengi Nallah

Earth caves in, sinkhole gulps down water of Brengi Nallah

Locals make merry, pick fish from the dried-up length of the Nallah

Anantnag: More than 500 metres of Brengi Nallah here in Anantnag district has been left dry after a sinkhole developed in Wandevalgam area of the district, into which all the water of the Nallah is vanishing down.
Locals, though, made merry as they caught trout fish, in kilos, along the dried-up length even as hundreds rushed to the sinkhole to witness the “surprising” phenomenon.
The sinkhole developed on Friday in Kakaw Sar area, along Brengi Nallah, in Wandevalgam area of this south Kashmir district. Soon after the sinkhole appeared, all the water of the nallah started flowing into the cavity and eventually a length of more than 500 metres ran dry.
“There is another channel of the Brengi Nallah running through an irrigation canal and back into the Brengi, which has kept the water flow consistent beyond these 500 metres,” a source in the Fisheries department told Kashmir Reader.
Soon after the word spread, hundreds of people rushed to the spot to witness the scenes. “Many of these people caught fish that were lying in the dried-up patch. Almost every household in a few villages around here will eat fish for dinner today,” the source said.
Local sources said that this was not the first time such a thing has happened. “This happened more than 20 years ago as well. It is believed that the Achabal spring has its source at this exact place, and water keeps dripping in regularly. It sometimes happens that the earth caves in as well,” the locals told Kashmir Reader.
Director Fisheries, Bashir Ahmad Bhat, however, said that it was a natural phenomenon. “I believe there is a limestone mine beneath. The stone must have melted, making the earth cave in,” Bhat said.
He added that the water will sprout at some other place, for it has a knack of making way for itself.
Meanwhile, the district administration imposed Section-144 around the site of the sinkhole to prevent any mishap from happening. That, however, did not stop people from thronging the area in dozens.
“A team of engineers has also been constituted and they will study the site to understand what has gone wrong,” an official in the district administration said, while he appealed to the general public to stay away from the area.

 

 

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