Roads, bridges wash away as rain batters north India
JAMMU/NEW DELHI, Aug 26: Rivers overflowed, the raging waters flattening everything in their way, and boulders, trees and rocks hurtled down slopes across Jammu region on Tuesday, killing at least 10 people, including six pilgrims struck by a landslide on the Vaishno Devi route.
Relentless heavy rain led to havoc not just in Jammu, which saw flashfloods, landslides and the pilgrimage to the Vaishno Devi shrine being suspended, but also in Kashmir Valley. Infrastructure was severely damaged with bridges collapsing and mobile towers and electricity poles breaking like virtual twigs.
Telecom services collapsed in large parts of the union territory, leading to millions being cut off from communication and escalating problems, officials said.
Traffic on the Jammu-Srinagar and Kishtwar-Doda national highways was suspended and dozens of hill roads were blocked or damaged by landslides or flashfloods, they said. Many trains to and from Jammu were cancelled.
The winding route to the Mata Vaishno Devi shrine atop the Trikuta hill was a picture of devastation. While at least six people were killed when the mountainside literally gave way around 3 pm, 14 people were injured. The toll could go up.
Several people were feared trapped, officials said as rescuers scrambled to pull out those buried under the debris near the Inderprastha Bhojnalaya at Adhkwari, officials said.
The landslide struck at a point about halfway along the winding 12-km trek from Katra town to the hilltop shrine.
There are two routes up to the shrine — while the yatra had been suspended on the Himkoti trek route since morning, it was going on on the old route till 1.30 pm when authorities decided to suspend it as a precautionary measure in view of the rain.
Kiran, from Mohali in Punjab, was among those caught in the hail of stones, trees and boulders.
“I was coming down the hill after performing darshan when people started shouting. I saw stones falling down. I rushed to safety but was injured,” Kiran told PTI Videos from a hospital bed in Katra.
“We were a group of five out of which three are injured,” added another girl, traumatised by her narrow escape.
Many relatives gathered at the hospital and Vaishno Devi base camp in Katra looking for news of their loved ones.
Some of the injured have been shifted to the Narayana Hospital in Katra, about 15 km from Jammu.
Three relief columns of the Army were swiftly mobilised in rescue and relief operations in and around Katra, the PRO Defence Jammu said. Chief Minister Omar Abdullah said the situation in many parts of the Jammu division was “quite serious”.
Reports of damage to public and private infrastructure were also received from high altitude areas of Kishtwar, Reasi, Rajouri, Ramban and Poonch districts.
Officials said the overflowing Modhopur barrage has crossed the one lakh cusec mark and is rising, triggering heavy flooding in several low-lying areas along the Ravi river in Kathua district.
Water levels in the Taranah river, Ujh river, Maggar Khad, Sahar Khad, and their tributaries in Kathua, Basenter in Samba, Tawi and Chenab in Jammu are rising and have already crossed the danger mark.
Most parts of the Kashmir region were lashed by rain. The water level in the Sheshnag Nallah in the Betaab Valley of Pahalgam breached its all-time highest level of 5.68 feet and was flowing at 6.02 feet, officials said.
According to officials, the sudden rise in the water level in the stream suggests that a cloudburst or very heavy rainfall might have occurred in the upper reaches of the region.
In Punjab, incessant rains for the past two days worsened the flood situation in Kapurthala district, while people have started evacuating in Ferozepur, especially from villages along the river areas.
The Sutlej, Beas and Ravi rivers, and seasonal rivulets were in spate because of heavy rainfall in their catchment areas and release of surplus water from the Pong and Bhakra dams.
For the past two days, 45 mm of rain has been recorded in Ferozepur district.
The situation in the city area is equally worrying, with several roads submerged, causing major inconvenience to commuters.
People waded through knee-deep water in certain low-lying areas, while traffic moved at a snail’s pace. The downpour also disrupted routine activities, with some schools forced to shut down earlier than usual to ensure the safety of children. (PTI)
