11 years wasted, says Omar; visits flood-hit areas, seeks relief from Centre
Jammu, Sept 04: The administration has intensified restoration work and debris clearance in low-lying areas of Jammu following flooding in the Tawi river, and has considerably restored water and power supply in the affected areas on Thursday, while Kashmir valley remained isolated from the rest of the nation.
Officials said that they have restored 70 per cent of water supply and 80 per cent of the power supply in Jammu division.
Kashmir Valley remained cut off from the rest of the country as all surface links, including the Jammu-Srinagar National Highway, were closed for traffic on Thursday due to multiple landslides and the washing away of road patches due to rains.
Besides this, important highways, including the Jammu-Rajouri-Poonch highway and the Batote-Doda-Kishtwar highway, are shut for traffic in view of landslides and the washing away of portions of roads.
Educational institutions have been shut down, normal life has been adversely affected and business has come to a standstill due to the heavy rains and flood-like situation in states like J&K, Punjab, Haryana, Delhi and Himachal Pradesh.
The closure of highways and other inter-regional roads since August 26 has resulted in over 3,500 vehicles getting stuck at various places from Kathua to Kashmir. The highway was partially reopened on Monday for facilitating the movement of some stranded vehicles.
“The Jammu-Srinagar highway, Mughal Road and Sinthan Road are closed for vehicular movement due to landslides, mudslides, and shooting stones at several places,” a traffic police officer said.
Besides this, important highways, including the Jammu-Rajouri-Poonch highway and the Batote-Doda-Kishtwar highway, are shut for traffic in view of landslides and the washing away of portions of roads.
With the closure of the Jammu-Srinagar highway, Mughal Road, Sinthan-Anantnag Road, Jammu-Poonch highway and Batote-Doda-Kishtwar highway, all surface connectivity to Kashmir Valley has been cut off, officials said.
Meanwhile, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah Thursday carried out an extensive visit to the flood-affected areas of Srinagar and Budgam districts, reaching interior localities by boat to take stock of the situation following breach in embankment of River Jhelum at Shalina near Lasjan.
The CM hit out at those who were at the helm of affairs in Jammu and Kashmir after 2014 floods, saying they did nothing to ensure floods do not recur in the valley.
Abdullah said the past 11 years were “wasted” and asserted that the situation would have been different if the Jhelum river and its flood channel had been dredged.
“We will have to ask questions about what was done after the 2014 floods in Kashmir. Those who were ruling here have done nothing that would have ensured floods do not recur,” Abdullah told reporters after visiting the flood-hit Lasjan area of the city.
River Jhelum spilled over its banks at Shalina in Budgam district in the early hours of Thursday, leading to flooding of several low-lying areas.
Acknowledging the scale of damages, the Chief Minister said there had been considerable financial and property loss. “This cannot be denied. We have to take appropriate decisions in this regard. A team from the Central Government has already been deputed to assess damages in ten districts of Jammu. I will be requesting the Home Minister, Amit Shah, to depute the same team to Kashmir as well, so that the damages in Kulgam, Anantnag, Srinagar, Budgam, Ganderbal, Baramulla, Bandipora, and other affected areas can be properly assessed.”
“It is our responsibility to evaluate the extent of losses in every flood-hit area and to ensure that necessary relief and rehabilitation measures are taken for our people,” he added.
He gave directions to provide potable drinking water to the affected families and additional boats to evacuate the cattle stranded in marooned cattle sheds.
In Jammu, record-breaking rainfall triggered panic as the river Tawi, popularly known as Surya Putri, roared with flood fury on August 26, inundating hundreds of homes and hectares of farmland, washing away structures and livestock, and displacing thousands in Jammu city, particularly Gujjar Nagar and Peerkho.
“Cleanliness operations are being undertaken at a fast pace to remove muck and debris from localities and ensure they are fully cleared of deposits left by the floodwaters of the Tawi. The administration is fully working on this issue,” Divisional Commissioner Ramesh Kumar said.
Kumar, flanked by Deputy Commissioner Rakesh Minhas and JMC Commissioner Devansh Yadav, monitored the operations carried out by labourers and machines after weather conditions improved on Thursday.
“A large number of labourers and six JCBs are engaged to ensure the areas are cleaned as soon as possible. Officials are monitoring the process,” he said.
Peerkho, among the worst-hit areas, was left strewn with half-buried vehicles, debris, boulders and uprooted trees. More than 300 people, including children clinging to their mothers and the elderly too frail to walk, were pulled out in desperate rescue efforts. But fear still lingered like a shadow.
Kumar said the administration is working in a proactive manner. “The Deputy Commissioner, Municipal Commissioner, and MD JPDCL — all are on the ground, working fast to restore essentials. Muck and debris clearance is being carried out in the area,” he said.
The divisional commissioner further said water and power facilities are being fully restored.
“About 70 per cent of the water supply has been restored, and the remaining is being done at a fast pace. Nearly 80 per cent of the power supply has been restored in the area. Work is being carried out on a war footing,” he said.
As far as relief is concerned, he said the assessment is being done by the deputy commissioner.
“Once that is completed, ex gratia will be given to the affected families. All possible support will be provided by the government, as it stands with people in this tough time,” he added.
He further said that full relief will be given to all the flood-affected victims, and all facilities and essential supplies will be restored very soon.
On water supply restoration, the deputy commissioner has procured private water tankers to ensure supply to all affected areas.
“It will take some time, but we are committed to fully restoring the facility,” Kumar added.
In Kashmir, the CM visited Taingan Lasjan and Shalina areas, where he made a first-hand assessment of the situation. Braving the floodwaters, he reached the submerged interiors by boat. He also interacted with affected residents, and assured them that the Government would extend all possible help and support.
“The immediate priority of the administration is to rescue people from inundated areas, evacuate them to safer locations, and provide instant relief,” he said.
He directed the administration to ensure smooth and safe evacuation of families from waterlogged localities and instructed that temporary shelters be established, adequately equipped with safe drinking water, food, and medical facilities.
The Chief Minister urged residents of adjoining areas to strictly follow advisories issued by the administration and to extend full cooperation to the authorities engaged in rescue and relief operations.
Speaking to the people at the site, Omar Abdullah said: “The apprehension we had yesterday, owing to the continuous rains and the rising water levels of the Jhelum, unfortunately came true and caused flooding in several areas. First and foremost, we are deeply thankful to Almighty Allah that timely evacuation was carried out and, most importantly, there has been no loss of human life.”
“Jammu-Srinagar is closed for vehicular movement from Jakhani in Udhampur towards Srinagar and vice versa due to the road being damaged at multiple places. No vehicular movement shall be allowed from Nagrota (Jammu) towards Reasi, Chenani, Patnitop, Doda, Ramban, Banihal, Srinagar and vice versa,” the traffic police advisory said.
Over 3,500 vehicles are stranded at various places in Kathua, Samba, Jammu, Udhampur, Ramban and Kashmir Valley due to the closure of the highway, they said.
The Jammu-Rajouri-Poonch National Highway has remained closed since Wednesday night at Chowki Choura near the Kandi tunnel, they said. Over 400 vehicles are stranded due to the damaged road surface, they added.
Efforts are on to restore the highway to reconnect Rajouri and Poonch besides facilitating the movement of essential services, they said.
The Batote-Doda-Kishtwar highway is also closed following landslides in the Pul Doda area, resulting in the stranding of several vehicles, they said. Over 200 vehicles are stranded at various places.
Similarly, the Kishtwar-Sinthan-Anantnag highway is closed for vehicular movement, they said, adding that Mughal Road has also been shut.
Kashmir’s connectivity with the rest of the country currently relies solely on air travel, with flights operating from Srinagar airport, and the railway network that extends from Katra to Srinagar. The region depends on road transport, particularly the Jammu-Srinagar National Highway, which serves as the main lifeline for essential supplies, passenger movement, and trade.
Besides this, several inter-district roads in Kathua, Rajouri, Doda, Kishtwar, Ramban and Reasi remain shut due to landslides and falling boulders, they said.
Importantly, floods damaged more than 110 km of the India-Pakistan international border (IB) fence and inundated about 90 BSF posts in the forward areas of Jammu and Punjab.
About 80 km of the IB fence in Punjab and around 30 km of it in Jammu have been damaged by the floods that have wreaked havoc. The fence at these places has either submerged, uprooted or tilted, officials said. The force has now begun a “mega exercise” in these two areas to restore the fence and the border outposts (BOPs) so that troops can occupy them again, an official informed.
Two houses collapsed following a landslide in Himachal Pradesh’s Kullu district on Thursday, leaving one person dead and six more buried under the rubble, officials said.
A team of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) rescued three people, including a woman, and recovered one body.
Rail traffic has remained suspended in the Jammu railway division for the past nine days due to misalignment and breaches at multiple locations in the Pathankot-Jammu section following heavy rains and flash floods on August 26.
Scores of people, especially pilgrims, were stranded as heavy rains lashed the Jammu region since August 26, severely disrupting rail and road traffic.
A landslide near the Mata Vaishno Devi shrine in Katra claimed 34 lives.
The water level in the Yamuna at Delhi’s Old Railway Bridge remained steady at 207.46 metres between 11 am and 12 noon on Thursday, officials said.
They added that the level is expected to begin receding gradually, though floodwaters continue to inundate nearby areas and relief camps.
Floodwaters reached near Delhi Secretariat, which houses the offices of the chief minister, cabinet ministers and key bureaucrats. Floodwaters also reached the Shri Marghat Wale Hanuman Baba Mandir near Kashmere Gate.
“Every year, when the water level of the Yamuna rises, it bathes the idol of Lord Hanuman. This is holy water. We revere it,” said a devotee.
Waterlogging caused by incessant rain over the past couple of days combined with Yamuna flooding led to major traffic snarls.
According to the revenue department, 8,018 people have been moved to tents, while 2,030 have been shifted to 13 permanent shelters.
Punjab is currently facing one of its worst flood disasters in decades. The floods are a result of swollen rivers, the Sutlej, Beas and Ravi, along with seasonal rivulets caused by heavy rainfall in their catchment areas in Himachal Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir.
The deluge has claimed 37 lives so far and impacted over 3.55 lakh people. Crops on more than 1.75 lakh hectares of land have perished in the floods, officials stated.
Union Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Thursday visited flood-hit areas in Punjab’s Amritsar and Gurdaspur districts, where he interacted with people, including farmers, affected by the deluge.
The Punjab government on Wednesday extended the closure of all schools, colleges and universities till September 7 due to the prevailing flood situation in the state.
In Haryana, the state’s Public Health and Engineering Minister Ranbir Gangwa on Wednesday convened an emergency meeting, directing officials to ensure immediate drainage and uninterrupted drinking water supply across the state.
Rajasthan Chief Minister Bhajanlal Sharma on Thursday directed MLAs to conduct intensive inspections in their constituencies for three days from September 5 to 7 to ensure relief to people affected by heavy rains and floods in the state.
