Jammu has been battered by heavy rain and thunderstorms for the past two days, leading to floods, landslides and massive destruction. The intensity of the rain has eased a little now, and water levels in some rivers are slowly dropping. But the scale of damage is severe. In areas like Peerkho and Nikki Tawi, entire residential areas have been washed away.
The death toll from rain-related incidents has risen to 36. Most deaths were caused by a landslide on the Vaishno Devi pilgrimage route. Jammu recorded 380 mm of rainfall in 24 hours, the highest since records began in 1910.
The water level in Tawi river in Jammu city has started receding, but water levels in the Chenab remain high. In Kashmir, Jhelum is still flowing above the danger mark in Srinagar and Anantnag. Relief and rescue operations have picked up pace since morning. The Army, national and state forces working together rescued over 5,000 people from low-lying flooded areas.
Schools, colleges, training centres, universities and government offices remain shut in Jammu. Similar closures are in place in Srinagar, Pulwama, Shopian, Kulgam and Anantnag. Internet and mobile services have been partially restored at 2G level by Jio and Airtel, while BSNL has asked users to switch to 2G.
Train services between Jammu and Pathankot have also resumed after being suspended yesterday.
Most of the deaths occurred when a massive landslide struck Katra, on the route to the Vaishno Devi shrine, killing 32 pilgrims. The pilgrimage was suspended after the disaster, which occurred around 3 pm on Tuesday at a point halfway along the 12-km trek from Katra to the shrine. The fourth bridge over the Tawi river has also collapsed.
The Weather Department said the overall intensity of the storm was now reducing. But light to moderate thunderstorms may continue in some areas. Moderate convection remains widespread over Jammu plains, including Jammu city, Samba, Kathua, Udhampur and Rajouri-Reasi. Localised heavy spells are still expected in parts of Kathua and Udhampur.
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