Several houses were inundated in Pelihara village of South Kashmir’s Shopian district after a cloudburst triggered flash floods. Reportedly, many houses and other residential structures were damaged due to the adverse weather phenomenon. The State Disaster Response Force quickly initiated rescue operations in the affected area and recovered several people stuck in their houses.
Although the cloudburst had struck yesterday, the incessant rainfall in the region is posing a danger to people, livestock, and agriculture in the surrounding villages as well. According to initial estimates, five residential structures and a school building were inundated by floodwater, causing damage to the structures.
Official rescue teams and local police were carrying out rescue operations in the village for the second day. Luckily, no one was hurt in the incident, and no loss of livestock was reported, though the cloudburst has left residents in fear.
Damage assessment and relief measures are underway, while officials continue to monitor the situation in vulnerable areas amid ongoing rainfall.
So far in 2026, Jammu and Kashmir has witnessed 15 cloudburst incidents. While these have caused relatively less damage in the Valley, Jammu has borne the brunt of the weather-related deaths and overall infrastructure damages.
Experts say that changing weather patterns, deforestation, rapid urbanisation and heavy infrastructure projects are the primary reasons for such intense weather-related incidents.
Jammu and Kashmir alone has witnessed over a 300 per cent increase in rainfall in July 2026, which is unusually higher than the routine spell and concentration witnessed during this period each year.
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