Two die, seven injured due to weather furry *
Jehlum flows at alarming level
Train service disrupted, KU postpones examinations,
Roads waterlogged, dozens rescued
Air traffic resumes from Srinagar, 7 morning flights cancelled
30 sheep were killed in Reasi
5 soldiers buried, 2 rescued
Nadeem Nadu/ Basharat Rashid
Srinagar: A woman and a minor girl died in Rajouri and Kupwara respectively while scores of passengers are missing in Anantnag district, and the government has sounded flood alert due to incessant rainfall from the last two days.
As incessant rains continued to lash Kashmir for the second consecutive day Wednesday, authorities ordered closure of Srinagar-Jammu highway in the evening after traffic on the thoroughfare had resumed in the afternoon. Officials said fresh landslides led to closure of the road again, even as Meteorological Department predicted improvement in weather from Friday afternoon. Keeping in view the inclement weather conditions Director Meteorological Department (MeT) Sonam Lotus Thursday afternoon took to social networking site Facebook and updated: “A flood of the magnitude of 2014 won’t arise. So please keep cool, be vigilant and stay safe and don’t get panicked. If God is with us who can be against us.”
Massive traffic jams were witnessed in many parts of Srinagar Thursday as the roads were inundated as drains were overflowing.
The divisional administration has pressed into service pumps and fire tenders to dewater the city roads, official sources said.
Kashmir valley is witnessing heavy rains since three days which has caused flood like situation.
According to official sources upper reached of the valley have receive heavy snowfall.
The authorities have also closed down all schools in the valley till Sunday in view of the rain and snowfall at this time of the year.
The University of Kashmir and Islamic University have postponed all examinations for the day.
“It is notified for the information of all the concerned that due to inclement weather, the examinations scheduled for 7th of April, 2017 at Islamic University of Science and Technology, Awantipora have been postponed,” said a spokesman.
The Health Department has directed all district and block level officers to prepare for exigencies in case of flood.
Many residential areas of Bandipora like Garoora, Hajin and Saderkoot are witnessing water logging, while as other rivulets have swelled up to the danger mark, which include a rivulet at Plan Bandipora. The locals while talking to KPS said “we began to evacuate, besides shifted the household items to upper stories, as no help has reached us despite launching quarries with the administration”
The Srinagar-Bandipora road was also blocked after mud slides hit the road near Saderkoot area.
Train service on Srinagar-Baramulla track was disrupted due to heavy rain in the Kashmir valley during the past 24 hours.
However, Badgam-Srinagar, Anantnag-Qazigund in south Kashmir to Banihal in Jammu region all trains are running normally.
Kashmir Valley remained on the edge on Thursday as the water level in the Jhelum kept on rising due to incessant rains and snow since overnight. The water levels in river Jhelum are flowing above alarm levels at both Sangam and Ram Munshibagh in Srinagar and south Kashmir, official sources said on Thursday.
Many areas of Bemina, one of the worst hit areas of Srinagar during once in a century floods in 2014, submerged. Reports said the water from flood channel has seeped inside Imam Hussain hospital in the area and its administration had to shift patients, medicine and infrastructure to the upper floor.
Meanwhile, the department has urged people not to panic and remain “calm”.
“Please remain calm, there is no need to panic and don’t pay any heed to rumours,” the official added.
After a house collapsed due to heavy rains in Reasi, about forty sheep were killed.
Reports said that the incident took place in Shandi Balmatkote area of Mahore in Reasi district on Thursday.
The sheep were belonging to Abdul Rehman, said an official.
Meanwhile, three persons were also injured after a poplar tree fell on a vehicle at Sangrama on Srinagar-Baramulla highway in north Kashmir on Thursday, reports said.
All the injured were shifted to hospital and are said to be in stable condition.
A Sumo vehicle Thursday plunged into river Brengi at Kokernag in south Kashmir resulting in injuries to 5 persons while two are missing.
Sources said that locals and police reached the spot soon after the accident and rescued five persons in an injured state and shifted them to hospital.
Meanwhile Air traffic resumed this afternoon Sheikh-ul-Aalam Srinagar International Airport following improvement in the visibility despite intermittent rain.
Keeping in view the inclement weather conditions, in the Kashmir valley, Directorate of Health Services, Kashmir (DHSK) Thursday constituted a Divisional & District level Control Rooms for the facilitation of healthcare services to the general public.
In view of the inclement rains and snowfall, Jammu and Kashmir police have also established emergency help lines across the valley.
Police have put its men on high alert to meet any possible challenge and eventuality and has established emergency control rooms in all the districts of the valley to provide help to the people in need, a statement said on Thursday.
Police have launched rescue operations at some places and people who are trapped because of increase in water level are being rescued, police said.
A woman and a minor girl died in Rajouri and Kupwara respectively while scores of passengers are missing in Anantnag district, and the government has sounded flood alert due to incessant rainfall from the last two days.
A woman died due to lightening in Rajouri district while several people got trapped in flash floods in Poonch district today.
The woman was identified as Khatun Begum, 47 of Dandote Budhal area of Rajouri district.
Fayaz Hameed, a minor girl identified as Shabana Saleem, daughter of Muhammad Saleem Mir, resident of Payerpora Hyhama Kupwara drowned in Nallah in the area.
The dead body of the minor girl was recovered from Baba Pora area, two kilometers away from Payerpora.
Meanwhile, scores of passengers went missing after a cab plunged into a river in Kokernag area of South Kashmir’s Anantnag district.
Reports said that the cab was heading towards Larnoo area from main Kokernag when it plunged into Brengi Nallah near Dandipora village. Reports quoting officials said that six passengers were rescued while five others are still missing.
At least three persons sustained injuries when a tree fell on a vehicle they were travelling in at Sangrama on Srinagar-Baramulla highway in north Kashmir.
The injured persons according to the officials were shifted to hospital and are said to be in stable condition.
Kashmir valley, including summer capital, Srinagar, received fresh moderate to heavy snowfall and rain, resulting in considerable dip in the maximum and minimum temperatures.
Majority of the road have been waterlogged due to incessant rain since yesterday and snowfall from early this morning in the valley, particularly Srinagar city, paralyzing normal life.
Reports said that over 30 sheep were killed after a house collapsed due to heavy rains in Shandi Balmatkote area of Mahore in Reasi district of Jammu and Kashmir. The sheep according to the officials belonged to Abdul Rehman.
The heavy downpour since last evening has triggered flood like situation in the Valley as the lanes, by-lanes, main roads and the city areas were inundated with the muddy water.
It has also resulted in damage to the crops, residential houses, buildings including schools and mosques in several parts of across the Valley.
Rescue operation in Sopore was going on at Tarzoo, Panzipora, Hygam, Dangiwacha, Behrampora and people from these areas who are trapped because of the increase in water level of Khursi Nallah are being shifted to safer locations, the statement said.
Rakhi Gundmacher and Khanchack areas of north Kashmir were waterlogged, where the Tehsildar Sogam and BMO Sogam visited on sport and directed the authorities to take preventive measures. Meanwhile, a residential house was partially damaged when a walnut tree in Diver Andarbuk Lolab fell on his house. The house was owned by namely Mushtaq Ahmad Lone. Rescue operations were going on the Kupwara district under the supervision of SSP Kupwara.
The air traffic resumed this afternoon following improvement in the visibility despite intermittent rain from Srinagar International Airport, where seven morning flights were cancelled due to fresh snowfall in Kashmir.
“Seven morning flights operating from Srinagar airport were cancelled due to fresh snow and rain since early this morning, resulting in poor visibility,” an airport official told wire news agency.
However, he said as the day progressed, the visibility improved despite intermittent rain in the afternoon.
He said as many as 37 flights were able to operate from the airport due to improvement in the visibility.
Meanwhile an avalanche hits Army’s post in Batalik Sector in Ladakh where at least five soldiers were buried out of which two soldiers were rescued. The rescue operation was going on when this report was filled.
(With additional reporting from Mudasir Rashid, Adil Bashir, Jehangir Lolabi)
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