At least ten people, including six pilgrims bound for the Vaishno Devi shrine, were killed and several others were injured after incessant rain, flash floods and landslides battered different parts of Jammu and Kashmir on Tuesday.
Jammu city bore the maximum brunt as it witnessed an unprecedented 248mm of rainfall in just 9 hours by 5.30pm, followed by Katra, which recorded 190.6mm of rainfall, setting a new record for the IMD station. Traffic was suspended on the main Tawi bridge after the river crossed the danger mark.
Several vehicles were left stranded after a portion of the road connecting the fourth Tawi bridge was also washed away. Railway station, Science College, historic Peer Kho temple, and several other residential and low-lying areas were flooded with rainwater across the municipal limits of the city.
Several popular tourist destinations in Himachal Pradesh, including Manali, Kullu, Dalhousie and Lahaul-Spiti, also witnessed heavy rains and landslides.
No loss of life was reported in any of the incidents that have occurred since Monday night.
The local meteorological office has issued a red alert, warning of intense to very intense spells of rain at isolated places in Kangra, Chamba, and Lahaul and Spiti districts on Tuesday.
The deluge has forced nearly all the water bodies in the region to overflow above the danger mark, inundating low-lying areas and prominent roads.
The overflowing Madhopur barrage on the Ravi River in Kathua crossed the one lakh cusec mark, resulting in heavy flooding in Kathua district.
Major rivers such as Tawi, Taranah, Ujh, and Chenab have also overflowed their danger marks, forcing police and civil authorities to make repeated public appeals for people to shift to safer areas.
Hundreds of people were evacuated from low-lying areas across the Jammu region.
Reports came in of damage to public and private infrastructure from the high altitude areas of Kishtwar, Reasi, Rajouri, Ramban and Poonch districts, the officials said. The real picture of the disaster will emerge only after an assessment of the ground situation, they said.
The Jammu region has been experiencing its heaviest rainfall in decades since Monday night, which damaged bridges, disrupted road connectivity, and inundated large tracts of land, forcing people to shift to safer areas. Reports came in of network outages in all service providers in Jammu and Kashmir following widespread damage to optical fibres at various sites. Power supply across the region was also affected due to the breakdown of power supply lines at different locations.
Chief Minister Omar Abdullah attempted to visit Jammu but could not reach as the Jammu airport was closed due to inclement weather conditions.
Meanwhile, traffic on the Jammu-Srinagar and Kishtwar-Doda national highways remained suspended, and dozens of hill roads were blocked or damaged by landslides or flash floods. The pilgrimage to the Mata Vaishno Devi shrine was also suspended as a precautionary measure.
Havoc caused by torrential rains prompted the Northern Railway to cancel 18 trains to and from Katra, Udhampur and Jammu railway stations.
Train services from Pathankot to Kandrori in Himachal Pradesh have also been suspended due to heavy soil erosion and flash floods on the Chakki river, according to railway officials.
Four trains were short-terminated at Firozpur, Manda and Chak Rakhwalan, they said, adding that movement of trains on the Katra-Srinagar stretch was continuing.
Out of 10 people killed during the day, four lost their lives in the Doda district, and six pilgrims were killed after they were hit by a massive landslide near Indraprastha Bhojnalaya en route to Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine.
The yatra had been suspended on the Himkoti trek route since morning, but had been going on on the old route till 1.30 pm when authorities decided to suspend it till further orders in view of the torrential rain.
In view of the adverse weather conditions, the Divisional Commissioner Jammu has ordered the closure of all educational institutions, including schools, colleges, universities, coaching centres and training institutes, on August 27.
All government and private offices will also remain closed, except those providing essential services such as health, emergency response, utilities and law and order.
Chief Minister Omar Abdullah termed the situation serious.
He presided over an emergency meeting and ordered district administrators to be on high alert.
“… instructions have been issued to place additional funds at the disposal of the DCs (Deputy Commissioners) to cover emergency restoration work and other exigencies,” Abdullah wrote in a post on X.
Abdullah also ordered the administration to provide essentials such as food, water, and medicine to affected families in a timely manner and prioritise relief to vulnerable groups.
In a post on X, Omar said, “Just spoke to the Union Home Minister Amit Shah on the phone to brief him about the situation in J&K, especially Jammu province, where heavy & continuous rains have caused a lot of damage and disruption to normal life. Efforts are being made to restore phone/data connectivity as soon as possible. The closure of Jammu airport stopped me & my colleagues from reaching Jammu this evening. I hope to be able to get there on the first flight tomorrow. In the mean time I’m closely monitoring the situation & in touch with the teams on the ground in the division”.
On ground zero, three relief columns of the Army were swiftly mobilised in rescue and relief operations in and around Katra, the PRO Defence Jammu said.
“One Column is assisting in saving lives in Ardhkuwari, Katra, One relief column reached the location of the landslide on the road from Katra to Thakra Kot and one column is assisting south of Jaurian. Efforts are on to save lives, provide assistance to the needy and take the civilians to safe areas. Close coordination with civil agencies is being carried out,” he said in a post on X.
The Jammu and Kashmir Board of School Education also suspended all examinations for Classes 10 and 11 that were to be held on Wednesday.
Besides, the recruitment campaign for constables in different security organisations, including the BSF, was halted for the day in Jammu.