Residents of Indian Kashmir turned their wrath on state administrators, accusing them of failing to provide them with help after the worst flooding in over a century, and angrily dumped food parcels into gutters.

A week into the disaster, which one state official estimates could cost close to $1 billion in damages, large parts of Srinagar – the capital of Jammu and Kashmir – lay under water with many people still trapped atop their homes, and others crowded in relief camps.

Their misery has added to problems of the administration in a Muslim-majority region where a revolt against Indian rule has simmered for nearly a quarter century.

Nobody came for us. Nobody in our area was rescued by air

Many complain that the government, which has maintained a heavy presence in the territory to keep a lid on the revolt, has left them to their fate.

Residents stranded for days by the floodwaters said that the army has selectively evacuated tourists and people according to a pre-set priority list, leaving locals to be rescued later by volunteers.

“Helicopters came, and we waved our arms,” said Aasiya Kutoo, who was living at a temporary shelter. “Nobody came for us. Nobody in our area was rescued by air.”

Outside one mosque-turned-camp in Srinagar, food supplies dropped earlier in the day by a military helicopter were strewn in a gutter, rejected.

“People said we don’t need this government food,” said Nayeem, who lives in the neighbourhood. He said since the state of India occupied Kashmir, they were only providing relief out of duty.

Sign up to our free newsletters

Get the best updates straight to your inbox:
Please select at least one mailing list.

You can unsubscribe at any time by clicking the link in the footer of our emails. We use Mailchimp as our marketing platform. By subscribing, you acknowledge that your information will be transferred to Mailchimp for processing.