Incessant rains, hailstorms, and gusty winds in Jammu and Kashmir have triggered a series of incidents since September 2.
The excessive rainfall has caused landslides and flash floods in several areas.
Gusty winds have damaged numerous villages in south Kashmir, particularly in Shopian and Kulgam.
In Kulgam, heavy rains have severely damaged apple orchards, vehicles, and rooftops. "Strong winds, accompanied by hailstorms and rainfall, caused widespread damage to apple orchards. Several vehicles and over a dozen rooftops were either swept away or partially damaged," said Tehsildar Kulgam Bilal Ahad.
The administration has deployed teams to assess the damage caused by the erratic weather conditions. They have assured compensation to affected farmers and homeowners under the State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF) guidelines.
Villages such as Mohammadpora, Khee, Nowpora, Daderkoot, Pombay Tengbal, Mahipora, and Kakran have suffered the most damage due to the erratic weather conditions.
Ab. Hamid from Nelow Kulgam, who owns a multi-hectare orchard, said that the orchards suffered extensive damage during the hailstorm. "This year has been difficult for the horticulture industry in Kashmir," he added.
Earlier, severe heatwaves and dry weather conditions had already caused some damage to the orchards.
Several other districts have also reported landslides, flash floods, and infrastructure damage.
Meanwhile, Director of MeT Srinagar, Dr Mukhtar Ahmad, said, "Heavy rainfall was recorded on Monday. The wet spell will continue, with improvement expected from Tuesday.”
“There is a possibility of heavy rain on 2-3 September at isolated places, with flash floods, landslides, mudslides, and shooting stones,” he added.
Dr Mukhtar cautioned travellers and tourists to plan accordingly, noting the potential for temporary waterlogging, landslides, and mudslides.
Rain also caused havoc in Srinagar city, leading to waterlogging in the low-lying areas of the city.
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