Improvement in the weather in Jammu and Kashmir has brought some relief to the people after incessant rains and cloudbursts left a trail of death and destruction for property and infrastructure. The government is on alert and monitoring the situation. Efforts are underway to provide relief to the affected people.
Relief operations are continuing, and repair work to fully restore mobile and internet services are progressing in full swing. Internet and telephone services were disrupted for nearly two days as heavy rains damaged the critical communication infrastructure.
Jammu region bore the brunt of nature’s fury with 39 deaths, including 35 Mata Vaishno Devi pilgrims, seven of them minors, due to Tuesday’s cloudburst at Katra in Reasi. The authorities responded to the crisis by launching a rescue and relief operation on a war footing.
Yesterday, contingents of the NDRF, Army, SDRF, police, and local authorities reached out to people in need of help. The Indian Air Force (IAF) pressed into service six Mi-17 helicopters for relief and rescue operations in Jammu.
The IAF also ferried 22 tons of equipment in IL-76 and C-130 aircraft, along with the NDRF personnel and 60 boats to assist the authorities in relief and rescue operations. The MI-17 helicopters air-dropped water and food packets in areas cut off due to floods. Despite the government's efforts, a shortage of food and drinking water was reported in submerged areas in Jammu today.
People also complained of power outages due to damage to transformers and the disruption of the filtration plant for safe water at Sheetali. Residents urged the authorities to deploy water tankers in their areas.
Authorities have assured the residents that restoration work is going at full speed.
In Kashmir, Divisional Commissioner Anshul Garg urged people to pay attention to weather advisories for the next 15 days. While praising people for managing the situation with resilience, he said, “The courage shown by the people made a difference in dealing with a difficult situation.”
“The next 10–15 days are crucial, and residents need to follow the weather advisories,” he said. He said people living on the banks of the Jhelum need to be vigilant as the monsoon continues.
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The railways arranged a special train from Jammu to Delhi to facilitate stranded passengers. Work is also going on to restore traffic on the Srinagar-Jammu national highway for the stranded vehicles.
The authorities have cleared the Mughal Road, which connects Rajouri and Poonch in Jammu to south Kashmir in Shopian for traffic, in view of the closure of the Srinagar-Jammu highway due to adverse weather. Educational institutions will reopen in Kashmir tomorrow, while those in Jammu will remain closed till August 30.
Reflecting on the grim situation, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah said a flood-like situation arose after two days of rain, faster than the 2014 floods. He stressed the need to review flood prevention measures taken after 2014.