- Multi-agency ops underway to prevent flooding near 4th bridge in Jammu
- 45 trapped villagers saved by BSF choppers in Akhnoor
STATE TIMES NEWS
JAMMU/SRINAGAR: Heavy rains across Jammu and Kashmir on Wednesday left a woman and her daughter dead while 45 persons were trapped in a flooded village in Akhnoor, officials said. A police team led by Neeraj Choudhary SHO Khour rescued flood affected people.
Officials said the incessant rains claimed the life of a mother-daughter in Kangri village of Sunderbani in Rajouri district. The two died after the roof of their house collapsed. Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha has expressed his condolences to those affected by the tragedy in Kangri, Sunderbani in Rajouri district and wished for the well-being of all those impacted by the incessant rain.
In Anantnag district, police rescued 25 nomadic families stranded under a bridge due to rise in the water level following heavy rains.
The rains led to increase in the water level in rivers, streams and rivulets which are already flowing close or above danger mark, while major roads, including all-weather Srinagar-Jammu national highway, remained closed for the second day owing to multiple landslides and landslips between Udhampur and Banihal, they said.
In a daring operation, the Border Security Force (BSF) pressed its helicopter to launch a high-risk rescue operation to evacuate 45 civilians, including women and children who were trapped in their flooded village in Akhnoor sector near here, officials said.
The rescue mission by the BSF was launched after police, National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) teams failed to shift the marooned population of Fathu Kotli village in Garkhal area owing to the continuous rise in the Chenab river, which is presently flowing several feet above its evacuation level of 42 feet, the officials said.
They said senior police and civil officers rushed to the scene early this morning after getting information that the flood waters had entered the village and 45 people were trapped.
After making several attempts to establish contact with the trapped civilians, the civil administration requisitioned the BSF for a helicopter to save the precious lives.
The BSF responded to the call and its helicopter made three sorties to successfully evacuate the 45 trapped civilians from the marooned village to a safer location despite continuous rainfall, the officials said.
As the water level continues to rise in the swollen River Tawi in Jammu city, authorities have launched a multi-agency operation to shore up embankments near the damaged fourth bridge to prevent flooding in the low-lying areas.
Heavy rain in Jammu had damaged the road near the fourth Tawi bridge, causing vehicles to get stuck on the broken stretch on August 26.
“If this area is breached, there will be a huge problem. Civil administration, police, and army are engaged in an operation to prevent it here. The engineering wing is working on it,” Superintendent of Police Ajay Sharma told reporters.
Senior officers are monitoring the situation closely.
The breach could inundate large areas near the fourth bridge as the locality is low-lying. Police have asked people to remain alert and shift to safer places from these vulnerable zones.
“If a breach takes place, there is a possibility of intense flooding here. I have told people to remain alert and try to move to safer places. First and foremost, women, children, and the elderly should be shifted,” the SP said.
There is, however, no immediate threat as the operation to safeguard the area is underway, he said.
Army personnel and engineering teams have laid large waterproof covers over a major portion of the breach to prevent further water seepage due to heavy rain, officials said.
The area has been sealed off with barbed wire around the damaged road stretch.
A low-lying colony is just 49 to 50 metres away from the “breach” caused by the washing away of a portion of the road connecting the fourth bridge in the city.
Worried residents of neighbouring localities are having sleepless nights. The area has a population of around 7,000 and houses a big business hub, Nehru Warehouse.
Jammu city has also been cut off from three main road stretches due to landslides on the Panjitirthi-Sidhra road, mudslides on the Manda-Nagrota road, and the closure of one bridge on the River Chenab at Akhnoor.
Two houses collapsed in the old Jammu city and three persons trapped inside were rescued.
The fourth bridge on the River Tawi was again closed following a rise in floodwaters.
Heavy rains over the past 24 hours have resulted in flooding of many areas in south Kashmir, including Pulwama, Shopian and Kulgam.
“Anantnag Police carried out a swift rescue operation at Aang Anzwalla, safely evacuating 25 nomadic families stranded due to a sudden rise in Lidder Nalla,” a spokesman of Anantnag district police said in a post on X.
He said immediate relief was provided to the evacuated families.
In neighbouring Kulgam district, five nomadic families were rescued by police from Brazloo village after the water level rose in the Vaishov Nalla on Tuesday night, officials said.
Emergency helplines have been established in various police station areas of south Kashmir where the water level is rising significantly in the water bodies.
Police and civil administration have issued advisories to the general public, urging them not to venture close to water bodies in view of the inclement weather.
Many areas in the Kashmir valley witnessed a fresh spell of rain.
In south Kashmir, Qazigund in Kulgam district recorded 90.6 mm followed by Kokernag (89 mm) and Pahalgam (64.4 mm) in Anantnag district while Srinagar experienced 46.1 mm of rainfall during the past 27 hours ending 11.30 AM.
At 1 pm, the Jhelum’s upstream gauge reading at Sangam in Anantnag was close to the danger mark of 25 feet and downstream at Ram Munshibagh in Srinagar was almost 17 feet, just one feet below the alert level and four feet below the danger mark.
At Asham in north Kashmir, the gauge reading of Jhelum was almost six feet below alert level at 8.59 feet, the officials said.
However, the rains in Srinagar stopped around noon but the sky remained overcast.
Issuing a fresh weather forecast at 8.50 pm on Tuesday, a spokesman of the Meteorological department predicted a spell of heavy to very heavy rain at many places over Jammu, Kathua, Reasi, Doda, Udhampur, Rajouri and Ramban district during the next 14-16 hours.
He also predicted moderate to heavy rain or brief intense showers at many places of Pir Panjal range and south Kashmirwith heavy rain over Kishtwar, Poonch, Anantnag, Shopian and Kulgam during next 14-16 hours.
“There is a possibility of cloud burst, flash floods, landslides and water logging at few vulnerable places,” the spokesman had said.
He said significant overnight rainfall was recorded in most parts of Jammu region with Reasi experiencing the highest 203 mm of rainfall till 8.30 am followed by Katra (193 mm), Batote in Ramban (157.3 mm), Doda (114 mm), Banihal (95 mm), Jammu (81 mm), Ramban (82 mm), Rajouri (57.4 mm) and Kishtwar (50 mm).
Police and district administration have also issued advisors asking people to remain cautious and stay away from the swollen water bodies and vulnerable areas prone to landslides, while the authorities extended the closure of all government and private schools on Wednesday.
He has also expressed his condolences to those affected by the tragedy in Kangri, Sunderbani in Rajouri district and wished for the well-being of all those impacted by the incessant rain.