Heavy rains pound wide parts of J-K, bridge damaged on Jammu-Pathankot highway

Jammu/Srinagar | Heavy rains battered most parts of Jammu and Kashmir overnight, triggering flood-like situation in several low-lying areas and causing damage to a vital bridge on the Jammu-Pathankot national highway, officials said.

The winter capital Jammu recorded 190.4 mm rainfall in the past 24 hours ending 8.30 am, the second-highest downpour this month in a century. The highest rainfall for August remains 228.6 mm, logged on August 5, 1926 while the previous second-highest was 189.6 mm on August 11, 2022.

Authorities have already issued advisories and asked people to stay away from water bodies and landslide-prone areas amid a weather forecast predicting moderate to intense rainfall with possibility of cloudbursts, flash floods and landslides in high altitude areas till August 27.

An official of the traffic department said the strategic 250-km Jammu-Srinagar national highway and 434-km Srinagar-Leh national highway is open for traffic despite heavy rains, while the Mughal road connecting Poonch and Rajouri in Jammu with south Kashmir’s Shopian and Sinthan road linking Kishtwar and Doda districts in Jammu with south Kashmir’s Anantnag were closed owing to landslides at different places.

A bridge near Logate Morh on Jammu-Pathankot highway was damaged in the middle due to overflowing of Sahar Khad nallah following heavy rains in Kathua district, the officials said, adding the traffic on the highway was diverted through the alternate bridge.

Normal life was disrupted in Jammu city because of the heavy downpour which led to overflowing of streams and drains, leading to inundation of roads and flood waters entering homes at several places including Janipur, Roop Nagar, Talab Tilloo, Jewel chowk, New Plot and Sanjay Nagar.

Boundary walls of several houses were also damaged, while nearly a dozen vehicles were swept away in the flash floods, the officials said.

Officials said water levels in major rivers and streams, including Basantar in Samba, Ujh and Ravi in Kathua, Chenab in Doda, Kishtwar, Ramban and Jammu and Tawi in Udhampur and Jammu rose sharply, prompting the administration to put disaster response teams and local police on alert.

So far, there have been no immediate reports of casualties, but the rains have triggered landslides at several places in Rajouri and Poonch in Jammu region and Gurez in north Kashmir, the officials said.

In Jammu region, Udhampur recorded the second highest 144.2 mm of rainfall followed by Katra, the base camp for the pilgrims visiting Vaishno Devi shrine in Reasi district, at 115 mm and Samba (109.0 mm) and Kathua (90.2 mm).

The summer capital Srinagar recorded 13.5 mm of rainfall, the officials said.