Heavy rains in the plains and snowfall in the upper reaches on Wednesday left most rivers and tributaries in J&K in spate and triggered flash floods; there was inundation of residential areas and closure of highways. Two persons went missing in south Kashmir’s Pahalgam, where a group of tourists was left stranded due to the inclement weather.
A spokesman of the Irrigation and Flood Control Department, Kashmir, said the habitation along the Jhelum river in south, central and north Kashmir were requested to remain vigilant as water was flowing above the danger mark at several places in the Valley.
“The flood duty as per the Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) has been put in force,” the spokesman said.
Even the residents living along the higher contours of tributaries, including Vishow and Rambiyara streams in south Kashmir, were asked “to remain vigilant as water level was expected to rise further in response to the rainfall in the catchment”
Classwork in schools was suspended in eight districts of the Valley “as a precautionary measure”. Several localities close to low-lying areas in the Valley, including capital Srinagar, were hit either by flash floods or flood water.
Meanwhile, two persons, including a tourist from Uttarakhand, went missing in the upper reaches of Pahalgam in south Kashmir.
“A group of trekkers was stranded in upper reaches of Tarsar-Marsar lakes. Fortunately, 11 sightseers were rescued so far but two, including a doctor from Uttarakhand, went missing after they drowned in a stream,” Dr. Mohammad Hussain Mir, an official in Pahalgam, said.
Heavy rains over the past four days have led to a rise in the level of most water bodies in Kashmir with the Jhelum river crossing the flood alarm mark at Sangam in Anantnag district south Kashmir. | Photo Credit: Nissar Ahmad
Several vehicles were struck by mudslides on the Srinagar-Jammu national highway in Udhampur and Ramban districts, which left the crucial highway closed. The Shopian-Poonch and Srinagar-Gurez highways were also closed due to fresh snowfall.
Cold wave
Kashmir’s upper reaches, including locations in tourist hotspots of Gulmarg, Pahalgam, Sonamarg and Gurez, received snowfall, which is unusual for the month of June.
The fresh snowfall has set in a cold wave across the Valley. Srinagar’s maximum temperature hovered around 15 degrees Celsius, 14 notches lower than the normal.
Scores of civilians, including nomads, were also left stranded in the upper reaches of the Pir Panjal valley in south and central Kashmir. A police spokesman said 25 families were rescued in Kulgam and Budgam districts. Locals said the unusual weather has also affected cattle grazing in the upper reaches and left many dead. The freaky weather has also affected crops as well orchards in parts of the Valley, officials said.
Shakil Ahmad Romshoo, a leading climatologist and Vice Chancellor, Islamic University of Science and Technology (IUST), said, “There is a little probability that flash flooding in the upper basin tributaries of Jhelum will result in a substantial flood, especially Sangam downstream. However, considering that rain is predicted to stop shortly, there is very little likelihood that the gauge level at Sangam would worsen into a pan-Jhelum flood. It may even climb a few more feet in the next couple of hours, qualifying as a small flood. There is nothing to worry about.”
