Cloud burst cause flash-floods at Watlar in Ganderbal
STATE TIMES NEWS
JAMMU/SRINAGAR: 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 in Jammu and Kashmir, officials said.
Due to over flow of Nallah at Nanak Nagar, several houses were inundated by water, causing distress among the residents. JMC Mayor along with MP Jugal Sharma rushed to the area and took stock of the situation.
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.
IMD ISSUES ALERT FOR J&K
The India Meteorological Department has issued an orange alert for Rajasthan and Jammu and Kashmir, and yellow alert for Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh for Tuesday with warning of heavy rains.
The IMD has four colour-coded warnings based on the intensity of a extreme weather event and issues them in the ascending order of green, yellow, orange and red.
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, in the wee hours, a cloud burst occurred in the upper reaches of Tehsil Lar due to which large amount of water gushed downwards flooding the Nallahs and rivulets causing flash floods that damaged the agriculture fields, trees, roads, drains and irrigation facilities.
On the directions of Deputy Commissioner (DC) Ganderbal, Krittika Jyotsna, the district administration immediately launched the rescue operation to make 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.
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.