Rescue operations have commenced in Budgam district of Central Kashmir following heavy rains that caused severe flash floods in the Beerwah and Khag areas. The floods swept away a man and inflicted significant damage on markets and residential properties.
The State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), police, and other security personnel were deployed for the relief and rescue missions in the affected locations.
A civil defense warden stated that teams had been on standby since Monday after a Red Alert was issued for Kashmir. “We were alerted about the ‘Red Alert’ issued for Kashmir and directed to report for duty. Our entire Civil Defense contingent, including rescue, medical, and transport teams, has been on duty since yesterday,” he said.
He added that water levels in the Sukhnag Nallah rose sharply after 2:00 PM, hampering shopkeepers from retrieving their goods. “Today, we learned that the water level in the Sukhnag Nallah was rising rapidly. Until 2:00 PM, the water level fluctuated, but after that it surged significantly. Consequently, the shopkeepers were unable to retrieve their merchandise,” he said.
Efforts to salvage stock from shops were made but were interrupted by a sudden building collapse. “We made a concerted effort to salvage the goods, but the sudden collapse of the building prevented us from recovering much of the stock. The financial loss involved here runs into crores,” the warden added.
Meanwhile, in the Kathua district, residents voiced serious concerns over repeated flooding and waterlogging, which they said was damaging resources and threatening crops. Flash floods triggered by heavy rainfall washed away parts of the Old Samba-Kathua Road at Sahar Khad, suspending traffic and cutting off access to nearby villages.
A local resident, Md Ali, described the situation as critical, with people struggling to secure essential supplies. “The situation is dire; the conditions have devastated us. We are in great distress and have no other recourse. We have invested everything here, and our resources are exhausted. Our people are starving, and we have to provide them with food and water,” he stated.
Ali highlighted ongoing concerns with water levels, noting previous flooding had not been addressed adequately by authorities. “Just look at the water levels here–there is so much water. Water flooded the area last time too, but the government did nothing to resolve the issue; they just dumped some soil, which washed away,” he said. “Now, there is a danger looming below where the crops are; everything down there could be destroyed.”
Another resident reported the failure and lack of repair of a water management structure, leading to recurrent flooding problems. “A structure was built for water management, but it failed and wasn’t repaired. A proper embankment or barrier needs to be constructed here. It was like this last year too; the water washed everything away. Many villages are affected; everyone is in distress,” the resident said.
Heavy rainfall also affected Rajouri district from early Tuesday morning. The district administration and Rajouri Police issued warnings urging residents to stay vigilant amid risks of rising river levels, flash floods, landslides, and waterlogging.
Comments are closed.