Jammu/Srinagar, Aug 24: Heavy overnight rains battered wide parts of Jammu and Kashmir, bringing normal life to a standstill, flooding low-lying areas, damaging property, and snapping road connectivity at several places. Officials said Jammu recorded 190.4 mm rainfall in the past 24 hours ending 8:30 am — the second-highest August rainfall in nearly a century, just behind the 228.6 mm logged on August 5, 1926.
A major bridge on the Jammu-Pathankot highway was damaged near Logate Morh in Kathua district after the overflowing Sahar Khad washed away part of the structure. Traffic was immediately diverted through an alternate bridge to maintain connectivity on the busy route. While the 250-km Jammu-Srinagar and 434-km Srinagar-Leh highways remained open, the Mughal Road and Sinthan Road were closed following landslides triggered by the rains.
In Jammu city, incessant downpour led to overflowing drains and streams, inundating several localities including Janipur, Roop Nagar, Talab Tilloo, Jewel Chowk, New Plot and Sanjay Nagar. Water entered residential houses, boundary walls collapsed, and nearly a dozen vehicles were swept away in flash floods. Residents struggled to navigate submerged streets as rescue and relief teams were pressed into service.
The administration said water levels in major rivers — Chenab in Doda, Kishtwar, Ramban and Jammu, Tawi in Udhampur and Jammu, Basantar in Samba, Ujh and Ravi in Kathua — rose sharply, prompting deployment of disaster response teams and local police. Authorities have issued advisories urging people to stay away from rivers, streams and landslide-prone slopes amid warnings of moderate to heavy rainfall, cloudbursts, flash floods and landslides till August 27.
Other districts in Jammu region also recorded significant rainfall, with Udhampur logging 144.2 mm, Katra — the base camp for Vaishno Devi pilgrims — 115 mm, Samba 109 mm and Kathua 90.2 mm. In contrast, summer capital Srinagar received only 13.5 mm of rain. Landslides were also reported in Rajouri, Poonch and Gurez areas, though no casualties have been reported so far.
Officials said round-the-clock monitoring is being carried out, and contingency plans are in place to deal with any escalation in the situation. (Agencies)
