The Earthquake of 8th October 2005 in Valley Tehsil Karnah & it's impact

The nature’s beauty of Kashmir & Karnah is part & parcel of it

The nature’s beauty of Kashmir & Karnah is part & parcel of it


Dr Javaid Iqbal

Lush Green & Beautiful valley 180 kilometres of North west of Srinagar & 80 kilometres from the Border District of kupwara while passing through hilly & tough roads from Kupwara to karnah & even some decades back people used to walk on foot to reach to karalpora/chowkibal which remains cut off from the rest of valley during harsh winters due to heavy snow & dependant on the kashmir valley for all essentials & supplies of all basic needs & requirements of life matters which is having extreme hot summers & winters not so easy too.The traditional fire wood is used as heating & cooking purpose with usage of domestic Bukharis & similarly electric appliances.At certain places modified solar system is also being installed.
Most importantly karnah has been derived from KARANOO (A mountain ) or after the name of Raja Karan Singh as per history narrated by Senior cetizens is a Tehsil in between borders of India & Pakistan.
42 villages which resemble with rest of villages of Kashmir valley & having a population of 75,000 approximately with simple people of 78% speaking Phari,20%Gojree & 2%Kashmiri.
Phari is written in Urdu scripts & is Indo Aryan in origin.2 villages of Sikh community living with harmony.
The popular Walnut trees & Pears, khobani,Fig,Apple,Lemon & Oranges in certain parts too.The jungles surrounded by Deodar & Pinus,Poplar Chinar & many similar fruitless to fruitful trees.
The Paddy,maize,wheat, mustard (sarson) are grown in agriculture sector besides all types vegetables like potatoes,Tomatoes, onions,cabbage,cauliflower,Rajmash etc..
The local traditional Rice mill (Pehkoo) & wheat flour mill Janders work on water pressures principles.
The hydle power project being a local still electric supply from the valley is an alternatively dependant.
Pollution free zone,running spring waters which are hot during winters & cold during Summer or hot seasons almost hard waters at certain places.
Tangdar is Tehsil headquarters...
But old headquarters were located at Teetwal before partition.
More than 60% literacy rate & value of education known to all now having a college & Higher secondary schools with many high,middle & primary schools .
Besides Religious education & females education too is the best in all streams.
303 people died & about 1800 were injured & about 50,000 people rendered homeless & most houses collapsed into heaps of rubbel with serious cracks as construction material was rocks(stones) & timber at large.
The other part of Karnah or across line of control sufferd huge loss of life of almost one lacs & above & presently cross LOC meets are organised twice a month.
The people are very simple & Hardworking always with focus towards agriculture,business & concentrate all sectors of development.
The rehabilitation process was satisfactory & was on war footings with evacuation of injured to Srinagar based hospitals with the help of all resources being used by the then administration via helicopters & routine ambulances after restoration of roads

Enough of panic & disturbances was a observed because of non availability of modern mobile connection only landlines were available but were dysfunctional transiently.
The psychological trauma still persists & there are patients still who are bed ridden with spinal cord injuries with paraplegia or quadriplegic.
The people came out of shock of Earthquake of 8th October 2005 & are brave enough to adopt a new trends of life & live with harmony with each other.
The earthquake was a major setback in the development & psychological trauma among inhabitants of Karnah valley.
Modern materialistic life under the influence of modernity observed with modern kitchens with latest gagets in Valley Karnah as being observed globally as elsewhere too.
The wood carving,tailoring,Fishing,Gold Smith & black Smith & stone crushers & road widening & blacktoping,parks,upgradation of infrastructure is observed gradually.
The best solution is connection with a tunnel which is probably under consideration?
Allah protect Everyone from such devastating earthquakes & let us all pray for all who lost the precious lives & Allah bless them with janatul Firdous Aameen!
Allah remove the miseries of all those suffered injuries & are bed ridden since then.
Note: the views are authors own KNS has nothing with It
 

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