Jammu, Sept 03: As the water level continues to rise in the swollen River Tawi in Jammu city, authorities have launched a multi-agency operation to shore up embankments near the damaged fourth bridge to prevent flooding in the low-lying areas.
Heavy rain in Jammu had damaged the road near the fourth Tawi bridge, causing vehicles to get stuck on the broken stretch on August 26.
“If this area is breached, there will be a huge problem. Civil administration, police, and army are engaged in an operation to prevent it here. The engineering wing is working on it,” Superintendent of Police Ajay Sharma told reporters.
Senior officers are monitoring the situation closely.
The breach could inundate large areas near the fourth bridge as the locality is low-lying. Police have asked people to remain alert and shift to safer places from these vulnerable zones.
“If a breach takes place, there is a possibility of intense flooding here. I have told people to remain alert and try to move to safer places. First and foremost, women, children, and the elderly should be shifted,” the SP said.
There is, however, no immediate threat as the operation to safeguard the area is underway, he said.
Army personnel and engineering teams have laid large waterproof covers over a major portion of the breach to prevent further water seepage due to heavy rain, officials said.
The area has been sealed off with barbed wire around the damaged road stretch.
A low-lying colony is just 49 to 50 metres away from the “breach” caused by the washing away of a portion of the road connecting the fourth bridge in the city.
Worried residents of neighbouring localities are having sleepless nights. The area has a population of around 7,000 and houses a big business hub, Nehru Warehouse.
“We did not sleep the whole night as the river water was rising with the intense rains. Several of our young men were on the road watching the rising waters of the Tawi river and its effect on the breach,” said Sardar Praduman Singh.
Singh, whose house is barely 70 metres from the breach caused by floodwaters, said they had sent the elderly, women and children to relatives’ houses as a precautionary measure.
Jammu city has also been cut off from three main road stretches due to landslides on the Panjitirthi-Sidhra road, mudslides on the Manda-Nagrota road, and the closure of one bridge on the River Chenab at Akhnoor.
Two houses collapsed in the old Jammu city and three persons trapped inside were rescued.
The fourth bridge on the River Tawi was again closed following a rise in floodwaters.
On Monday, army engineers, in a 12-hour operation, laid a 110-foot Bailey bridge connecting the flood-hit Tawi bridge to restore vehicular traffic on the vital link in Jammu city.
In the 2024 floods, the bridge had suffered damage at the same spot and was later repaired.
