NH-244 closed; rescue, restoration underway; schools shut in Ramban, Kishtwar
Srinagar, Aug 01: Heavy rainfall triggered flooding in parts of south Kashmir’s Shopian district on Saturday, inundating several houses and a school, while a cloudburst in Kishtwar district damaged shops, vehicles and other property, forcing the closure of a key highway stretch, officials said.
Rainwater entered several houses in Pahlipora village of Shopian after incessant rainfall, disrupting normal life and prompting an emergency response by the police, State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) and the district administration, they said.
Rescue teams were rushed to the affected locality and launched evacuation and relief operations.
“Efforts are underway to drain the accumulated water, shift vulnerable families to safer locations wherever required and assess the extent of the damage,” an official told the news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO).
Several residential houses and a school were affected by the flooding, officials said, adding that there were no reports of any casualties.
Meanwhile, a cloudburst struck Chatroo market in Kishtwar district at around 2:30 am, triggering a flash flood that swept through the area.
The flash flood washed away several vehicles, while mud and debris entered shops and other commercial establishments, causing extensive damage to property and disrupting normal business activities, officials said.
No loss of life or injuries were reported in the incident, they added.
Following the cloudburst, officials of the district administration, police and other concerned departments rushed to the spot and launched restoration work, including the clearance of debris and assessment of the damage.
As a precautionary measure, the Chatroo-Kishtwar stretch of National Highway-244 was closed to vehicular traffic. Authorities advised commuters to avoid travel on the route until normal traffic is restored and urged people to stay away from streams, nallahs and other vulnerable locations in view of the continuing wet weather.
Amid the prevailing weather conditions, the district administrations in Ramban and Kishtwar ordered the closure of all government and private schools for the day.
The Chief Education Officer (CEO), Ramban, directed all educational institutions in the district to remain closed on Saturday and instructed heads of schools to conduct online classes to minimise academic disruption.
A similar order was issued by the CEO, Kishtwar, citing heavy rainfall, slippery road conditions and the possibility of shooting stones posing a threat to the safety of students and staff. Schools in the district were also asked to switch to online classes.
According to the Meteorological Centre, Srinagar, Kathua recorded the highest rainfall in the past 24 hours at 46 mm, followed by Shalimar 42 mm, Shopian 41 mm, and another observatory in Shopian 40 mm, Awantipora 31 mm, Ramban 30.5 mm and Poonch 27.5 mm.
The weather office has forecast generally cloudy conditions with spells of light to moderate rain and thundershowers over the next few days, with the possibility of heavy to very heavy showers at isolated places, particularly in parts of the Jammu division.
It warned that torrential rain and brief intense showers could trigger flash floods, landslides and shooting stones at vulnerable locations during the next five days.
Meanwhile, a cloudburst near Mina-2 in Minamarg triggered flash floods and landslides on Friday evening, affecting four temporary shelters of Bakerwal families, but swift action by Police Post Minamarg ensured all occupants were safely evacuated without any loss of life.
The cloudburst struck the area in the evening hours, causing flash floods that impacted approximately 20 persons belonging to Bakerwal families residing in deras opposite Police Post Minamarg.
Acting promptly, personnel of Police Post Minamarg launched a swift rescue operation and safely evacuated all the affected families to the Police Post Minamarg building and the Sheep Husbandry Department building at Minamarg.
During the incident, a Wagon R vehicle was also washed away by the flash flood. However, all the occupants of the vehicle are safe, and no casualties have been reported.
Meanwhile, traffic on the Drass-Srinagar National Highway has been temporarily suspended at the affected location. Police personnel from Police Post Minamarg, along with road clearance machinery, are on the spot and actively engaged in clearing debris and restoring traffic at the earliest.
District Police Drass appealed to all commuters, tourists, and locals to avoid crossing overflowing water channels, streams, and flood-prone areas and to exercise utmost caution while travelling until normal conditions are restored. (KNO)
