• Over dozen rooftops damaged in Kulgam district, many vehicles damaged
• Heavy rains triggered flash floods in Kangan Ganderbal
Srinagar, Sept 02: Severe weather conditions have caused widespread destruction in Jammu and Kashmir, with landslides, flash floods, and gale-force winds wreaking havoc across the region.
Gusty winds created havoc in parts of south Kashmir, including villages of Shopian and Kulgam district. In the Pombay belt of Kulgam, heavy rains caused significant damage to apple orchards, vehicles, and rooftops.
Tehsildar Kulgam Bilal Ahad said strong winds accompanied by hailstorm, rainfall in caused extensive damage to apple orchards.
“Several vehicles were also damaged as uprooted trees fell on them and over a dozen rooftops were damaged in the area,” he said.
Bilal said that it was gut-wrenching to witness the extent of the damage. The administration will deploy our teams from tomorrow at the tehsil level to assess the damage,” he said.
Tehsilar Kulgam said that both agriculture, horticulture, and other revenue officials will visit affected orchards to evaluate the damage and compile a list in accordance with norms of the State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF).
“We will ensure that the affected farmers receive support under these guidelines at the earliest.”
Bilal said that villages such as Mohammadpora, Khee, Nowpora, Daderkoot, and Pombay have suffered the most damage, with the hailstorm severely affecting the apple crop.
Manzoor Ahmad, a local from Pombay, said they were inside the Block Development Officer’s (BDO) office when heavy winds began blowing at around 3 p.m.
A few poplar trees fell onto the lawn and the office building, causing damage to cars parked outside.
He added that the horticulture sector was hit the hardest, resulting in significant losses for growers.
Meanwhile, independent weatherman Aadil Maqbool said that the morning started with partly cloudy skies, which darkened as the day progressed.
“By 3 p.m., strong thunderclouds developed over the higher reaches of Shopian district, extending to Kulgam. The area was hit by very heavy rainfall, hailstorms, and gusty winds, causing widespread damage to apple orchards during a 30-minute spell.”
Maqbool added that after 3:30 p.m., the storm gained intensity, with most areas in Kulgam experiencing heavy rainfall and hailstorms.
“The Pombay block was particularly hard hit, with powerful winds and massive hail storms damaging vehicles and apple orchards. The Qazigund belt, however, saw less impact.
Meanwhile heavy rains led to flash floods in the Shah Mohalla Kullan area of Gund in Ganderbal district. The deluge was triggered by a cloudburst, followed by torrential rains that overwhelmed a local tributary, resulting in water entering the home of Fayaz Ahmad Shah, causing damage to his property.
The flash flood was caused by heavy rainfall in a stream passing through the village. Fortunately, no loss of life or injuries has been reported.
In response to the situation, teams from the Revenue Department, Police, State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) Gund, and the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) visited the site to assess the damage and ensure the safety of the residents.
Local residents expressed their ongoing fears, recalling a devastating flash flood in 2015 that caused casualties and extensive property damage in Kullan village.
Despite directives from the district administration to the Border Roads Organisation (BRO) to construct a bridge and culvert in the area, locals claim that no substantial action has been taken.
Residents have repeatedly urged higher authorities to construct a bandh and bridge along the Nallah, but they feel their concerns have fallen on deaf ears.
Meanwhile, the Srinagar-Leh highway, which was temporarily closed due to a mudslide, has been cleared by authorities, and traffic has been restored.
Tehsildar Gund, Manzoor Ahmad, who visited the site immediately after the floods said that he has directed the Flood Control Department to start dredging in the affected area.
“We would take the matter up with the Deputy Commissioner of Ganderbal to prevent future problems for the residents,” he said.
Director MeT Srinagar, Dr Mukhtar Ahmad told Rising Kashmir that as forecasted, heavy lash plains were recorded on Monday.
“The ongoing wet spell will continue and thereafter we are expecting improvement in prevailing weather conditions from Tuesday onward. There is possibility of heavy Rain during 2-3 sept at isolated places with flash floods, landslides, mudslides/shooting stones over few vulnerable places,” he said.
Dr Mukhtar said that there will be rise in water level in Local Nallas & flood channels and water logging in few Low lying areas. Possibility of light snowfall over a few higher reaches, he added.
“Travellers & Tourists are advised to plan accordingly. Temporary water logging is also expected in few low-lying areas. There is also the possibility of landslides and mudslides besides shooting stones,” Dr Mukhtar said.
The rains also caused havoc in Srinagar city and its outskirts with rain water entering residential and commercial premises in the low-lying areas.
Due to incessant overnight rainfall, many parts of Srinagar city witnessed water logging. Following the inclement weather, a massive dip was witnessed in temperatures in the valley. There was increase water level in river Jhelum other water bodies in the region
A traffic police spokesman said that during the past 24 hours, there was slow movement observed on NH-44 due to single lane traffic at Dalwas, Mehad, Panthyal, Nachlana, Shalgarhi etc. and poor surface condition of road at many places between Nashri and NAVYUG Tunnel.
“Subject to fair weather and better road conditions LMVs Passenger/Private Cars/HMVs shall be allowed on Tuesday from both sides on Jammu-Srinagar NHW (NH-44) viz from Jammu towards Srinagar and vice-versa,” he said.
The spokesman said Kishtwar-Sinthan-Anantnag road(NH-244)/ SSG ROAD/ Mughal Road/Bhaderwah-Chamba road through for vehicular movement.
