11 people trapped in flash floods rescued
Flash floods damage houses, roads in Ganderbal
Jammu: Eleven people were rescued on Monday following flash floods in Kathua district of Jammu region where heavy rains disrupted normal life and inundated several areas, officials said.
Eleven people belonging to a nomadic community were stuck in flash floods in Ujh river in the Rajbagh area and were rescued by police and SDRF personnel, they said.
Several farm animals were, however, washed away, the officials said.
The district administration in Kathua and Samba sounded a flood alert.
Traffic movement was disrupted on the Pathankot-Jammu highway due to heavy flooding, they said, adding that a truck overturned on the carriageway near Kathua.
The Ujh, Basantar and the Eik nallahs were in spate in Kathua and Samba, triggering fear in the population living near these water bodies, the officials said.
Areas around the check dam Dhalote in Samba are inundated, they said, adding that locals have appealed to the authorities to open the flood gates of the dam.
The heavy downpour led to a rise in water levels in major rivers in Jammu, including the Tawi, while a small bridge collapsed in Gadigarh.
The Jammu-Srinagar national highway was closed due to several landslides triggered by heavy rains in Ramban district, and men and machines were deployed to clear the highway, the officials said, adding that one-way traffic was briefly restored.
The mercury in most parts of Jammu and Kashmir nose-dived during the day due to the torrential rains, with Jammu recording a high of 24.8 degrees Celsius, 3.3 notches below normal, a weather official said, adding that rainfall was recorded at 150 mm.
Meanwhile, a cloudburst hit Watlar area of Lar in Central Kashmir’s Ganderbal district on Monday morning triggering flash floods, which caused damage to several residential houses and many inner roads in the area.
Officials said that a flash floods triggered by a cloudburst lashed several residential houses and roads in Watlar village, causing significant damage.
The official said that there was no report of any loss of life in the incident.
He said that due to the cloudburst flow of water increased in Charnari Nallah, which caused damage to nearby residential area.
The official said that rescue teams were immediately pressed into service to restore road connectivity to the area.
Meanwhile, a revenue official said that they have sent teams to the area ascertain the details of damage caused by flash floods.
He, however, said that the situation was under control as of now, while there was no loss of life reported in the incident.
Pertinently, on the directions of Deputy Commissioner (DC) Ganderbal, Krittika Jyotsna, the district administration immediately launched the rescue operation to bring the situation under control.
Disaster Management Team along with all line departments pressed men and machinery into the service on the spot and started restoration of affected services viz-a-viz dewatering from few houses through water pumps, clearance of road and pathways by removing debris, boulders and slit that had accumulated besides plugging of irrigation canals has also been started.
To have firsthand appraisal of the situation on the ground, the Additional Deputy Commissioner, Farooq Ahmad Baba along with Tehsildar Lar went on the spot and took stock of the situation, an official spokesman said.
Meanwhile, assessment was conducted to ascertain severity of damage and it was found that no house is completely damaged and no family has got displaced.
The revenue field agency under the supervision of Tehsildar Lar has surveyed the damage cases of houses, paddy fields, horticulture and poultry for processing relief cases and found that no requirement of immediate relief in the form of ration and household items is required to anyone.
Pertinently, no loss of human life and livestock was reported due to cloud bursting.
Elsewhere, over 150 sheep were killed after a cloud burst struck at a far flung Jawdara Bahak in Tulail area of Gurez Sub-Division of North Kashmir’s Bandipora.
The incident that occurred on 8 July could not be reported due to inclement weather. The owners of the live-stock reported the tragedy at police station Tulail on Monday.
Police sources said that cloud burst struck the sheep sheds at Jawdara Bahak that killed over 150 sheep. The live-stock belonged to two nomads identified as Sharief Poswal son of Ghulam Nabi and Muhammad Ayoub Bajran son of Fauluddin, both residents of Rajouri.
KV News
