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Twenty three villages inundated by floods in south Kashmir districts of Anantnag and Kulgam; the death toll rises to 10
A flood alert was sounded on Thursday in Srinagar city as River Jhelum was flowing four feet above the danger mark after incessant rain, while 23 villages have been inundated by floods in south Kashmir districts of Anantnag and Kulgam.
Incessant rain over the past three days has wreaked havoc in many parts of the Valley with south Kashmir’s Anantnag and Kulgam districts the worst-hit.
Ten persons including a paramilitary Border Security Force official were killed in landslides and flash floods triggered by incessant rains since Tuesday night in the Jammu region.
“Flood alert has been sounded in Srinagar city and all emergency services have been pressed into service to meet the eventuality of a flood,” Deputy Commissioner, Srinagar, Farooq Ahmad Shah said.
He said River Jhelum at Ram Munshi Bagh in the city was flowing at 22 feet, which is four feet above the danger mark. Two persons were washed away at Aboora in Budgam district on Wednesday while nearly 100 persons trapped in flood waters in south Kashmir were evacuated to safety. A senior official said 23 villages in south Kashmir have been flooded so far.
State Chief Minister Omar Abdullah put the administration on high alert on Wednesday evening.
Divisional Commissioner Jammu, Shantmanu told Rediff.com on Wednesday that five persons were killed due to landslides in the mountainous Chungra village of Reasi district on Wednesday morning following heavy rains. A BSF inspector, Mohammad Rashid deployed on the Line of Control in the Saujian sector of Poonch district died in a landslide caused by heavy rains, according to a BSF spokesman.
Heavy rains washed away several houses in the twin border districts of Rajouri and Poonch.
State administration mounted a rescue operation and evacuated 35 families who were trapped in south Kashmir’s Banjarpora village.
A police spokesman said rafts were pressed into service by the district administration to evacuate trapped people including 26 children.
Eight families comprising of 37 members including children were rescued by police when they were trapped in flood in Birigam Devsar.
Omar Abdullah, who is personally monitoring the situation that has arisen due to incessant rain, has put the state administration on high alert, directing them to be at the beck and call of the people wherever required.
The chief minister has directed the divisional commissioners to place senior officers on duty for monitoring the situation and initiate all necessary measures to safeguard the people. He directed them to keep control rooms operative round the clock so that there is close contact between the people and the concerned officers.
Omar was briefed by the administration about the situation in Kulgam, Shopian, Baramulla, Surankote and other areas where water has increased to dangerous levels.
Under the directions of the chief minister, the state administration has asked the Air Force authorities to keep aerial rescue plan in place for utilisation.
The government ordered all educational institutions to remain closed in capital Srinagar and in south Kashmir on Thursday.
The MET office has forecast more rains over the next 48 hours raising the possibility of more areas of Kashmir getting flooded. An official of the weather office said Qazigund in south Kashmir received 156.7 mm rainfall in the past 24 hours up to 8.30 am on Thursday. Srinagar recorded 52 mm rainfall in the corresponding period while Kupwara in north Kashmir received 119.4 mm rainfall.
With inputs from PTI