Torrential rains triggered massive flash floods in the Beerwah and Khag areas of central Kashmir’s Budgam district on Wednesday, sweeping away a man and causing extensive damage to markets, residential areas and commercial establishments, prompting large-scale rescue and relief operations.
Personnel from the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), Jammu and Kashmir Police and other security agencies were deployed in the affected areas to assist stranded residents and assess the damage.
A Civil Defence warden said rescue teams had been on alert since a Red Alert for Kashmir was issued and were mobilised to respond to the emergency.
“We were alerted about the Red Alert issued for Kashmir and directed to report for duty. Our entire Civil Defence contingent, including rescue, medical and transport teams, has been on duty since yesterday,” the warden told ANI.
He said the water level in the Sukhnag Nallah rose sharply during the afternoon after fluctuating until around 2 p.m., leaving shopkeepers with little time to salvage their goods.
Rescue teams attempted to recover merchandise from inundated shops, but their efforts were hindered after a building suddenly collapsed, he said.
“We made a concerted effort to salvage the goods, but the sudden collapse of the building prevented us from recovering much of the stock. The financial loss involved here runs into crores,” the warden added.
Meanwhile, in Jammu and Kashmir’s Kathua district, residents voiced concern over recurring flooding and waterlogging, saying repeated inundation has damaged livelihoods and threatened standing crops.
Flash floods triggered by heavy rainfall also washed away stretches of the Old Samba-Kathua Road at Sahar Khad, disrupting traffic and severing connectivity to several nearby villages.
A resident, Md Ali, said the situation had become critical, with families struggling to access basic necessities such as food and drinking water.
“The situation is dire. We have invested everything here, and our resources are exhausted. Our people are starving, and we have to provide them with food and water,” he told ANI.
Ali alleged that despite similar flooding in the past, no permanent mitigation measures had been implemented. He said the rising water levels now posed a serious threat to agricultural land and crops.
Another resident said an existing water management structure had failed and was never repaired, resulting in repeated flooding. He urged authorities to construct a permanent embankment to protect villages from future damage.
Heavy rainfall also lashed Rajouri district from early Tuesday, prompting the district administration and Rajouri Police to issue advisories asking residents to remain vigilant amid the risk of rising river levels, flash floods, landslides and waterlogging.
(With ANI inputs)
