Continuous and intense rainfall has brought normal life to a standstill across the Jammu region, triggering widespread landslides, mudslides, and flash floods. The Doda district is among the worst-affected areas, with visuals on Tuesday showing dramatic flash floods amid unconfirmed reports of a cloudburst. The situation has prompted authorities to suspend traffic on the vital Jammu-Srinagar national highway and issue high alerts across the region.
A Growing Calamity with Fatal Consequences
In a tragic development, a young girl has reportedly died in a house collapse in Doda’s Bhalesa. While a flash flood has been confirmed in the Charwa area of Bhalesa, Union Minister Jitendra Singh, who spoke with Doda’s District Collector Harvinder Singh, stated that no casualties have been officially linked to that specific flash flood. However, officials and local reports indicate that the death toll in the Doda district has risen, with some reports citing up to four fatalities in separate rain-related incidents.
The downpour has caused almost all rivers and streams in the Jammu division, including the Tawi, Chenab, and Ravi, to swell and flow at or near the danger mark, inundating low-lying areas and roads.
Transportation and Infrastructure Grind to a Halt
The severe weather has crippled transportation. Traffic on the 250-km Jammu-Srinagar national highway has been suspended as a precautionary measure due to recurring landslides and shooting stones at multiple locations in the Ramban district, including Chanderkote, Kela Morh, and Battery Cheshma. This has halted vehicular movement at Udhampur and Qazigund, effectively severing the only all-weather road connecting Kashmir with the rest of the country.
Furthermore, a portion of the Padder road in the Kishtwar district has been washed away, and other roads in Udhampur and Doda have also been blocked by landslides, isolating several villages and communities.
Meteorological Outlook and Emergency Response
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) attributes the current weather to a combination of a Western Disturbance and the monsoon system. An IMD official stated that the heavy rains, which began late Monday, are expected to continue until Tuesday evening before the system shifts towards the Rajouri-Poonch region.
Authorities have issued a red alert for several districts, warning of possible cloudbursts, flash floods, and landslides until August 27. Officials have urged residents to stay away from rivers and landslide-prone areas. Multiple helpline numbers have been made public for emergency assistance in districts across the region. Disaster response teams, including the SDRF and police, are on high alert to handle any unfolding crisis. The weather is expected to improve slightly on Wednesday, but moderate to heavy rains are forecasted to return from August 30 to September 1, raising fears of further devastation.