185.6 mm rainfall in three hours breaks 71-year Oct record; hospital walls collapse, roads blocked
Jammu: One person died and a woman remained missing after being swept away by floodwaters as record-breaking rainfall battered Jammu on Sunday, inundating residential localities, damaging public infrastructure and agricultural fields, and disrupting traffic on key roads.
Jammu received 185.6 mm of rainfall in three hours, surpassing the previous October record of 160 mm set in 1955.
The intense spell began around 8.30 am, triggering flash floods, overflowing drains and nallahs, and landslides at multiple locations.
The maximum temperature plunged to 23.3 degrees Celsius, around nine degrees below normal, officials said.
The deceased was identified as Ram Sajan, a native of Uttar Pradesh residing at Royal Farms, Purkhoo.
His body was recovered from a canal near Bellian Mohalla in Domana after he was suspected to have been swept away by floodwaters.
His motorcycle was earlier recovered from a canal near Gumpal, Purkhoo. The body was being shifted to Government Medical College (GMC), Jammu, for legal formalities.
In a separate incident, a woman identified as Kouser, aged around 22–23 years and originally from Rajouri, went missing after being swept away by a strong current near Raipur Bagani Talab.
Police Post Chinore took cognisance of the incident, and a search operation involving police, locals and State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) personnel was launched.
According to another account, the woman was 27 years old and was swept away in the Raipur Domana area while trying to save her husband, who was attempting to move their parked car amid rising floodwaters.
The man managed to save himself, but his wife remained untraced despite search efforts.
Jammu North MLA Sham Lal Sharma visited Raipur Bagani Talab around 5.15 pm to assess the situation and meet the missing woman’s family.
He expressed concern and assured them of assistance as the search operation continued.
The downpour inundated several residential and commercial areas, including Borhi, Kalka Colony in Udheywalla, Durga Nagar, Kabir Colony in Talab Tillo, Shakti Nagar, Shiv Nagar, Nanak Nagar, Sanjay Nagar, Shastri Nagar, Rampura, Panjtirthi, Nagrota, Roop Nagar, Janipur, Dogra Chowk and Raipur Domana.
Overflowing drains and local water channels sent water into houses and shops, damaging household belongings and leaving residents scrambling to protect their possessions.
Reports from Borhi indicated that parked cars and motorcycles were swept away by the force of the water. The extent of the losses was yet to be assessed.
Videos circulating on social media showed torrents rushing through narrow lanes, submerging roads and spilling into residential premises and commercial establishments. Residents said water levels rose rapidly, leaving little time to safeguard their belongings.
“The rainwater started flowing through the lanes with considerable force, and it became difficult to move around. Water entered residential areas, leaving people worried about their homes and belongings,” Vijay Kumar, a resident of Shakti Nagar, said.
Sohan Singh of Domana said roads quickly filled with water, forcing people to focus on safeguarding their families and possessions.
The heavy rainfall damaged boundary walls at two hospitals in Jammu.
At CD Hospital, an adjoining drain overflowed, causing a boundary wall to collapse and trapping 40-year-old Mamta Kohli, a resident of Resham Ghar, beneath the debris. Police personnel rescued her. She sustained minor injuries and was reported to be out of danger.
The boundary wall of the Psychiatric Hospital, Jammu, also collapsed. No casualties or injuries were reported in that incident.
The Jammu–Nagrota road network was among the worst affected, with flooding and landslides disrupting traffic at several locations.
The Manda–TCP Nagrota road was initially blocked after floodwaters inundated the stretch near Simble Morh Nallah. Clearance operations involving earth-moving machinery enabled traffic to resume around 12.30 pm.
The Panjtirthi–Nagrota and Manda–Nagrota routes were also reported closed due to landslides. Waterlogging on the Panjtirthi–Sidhra road caused further disruption, while a subsequent landslide left three vehicles stranded, prompting arrangements for their evacuation with a crane.
Although the affected stretches were subsequently reopened, long queues of vehicles heading towards Nagrota were reported. Landsliding along the Thandi Sadak–Panjtirthi–Sidhra route forced traffic to move through a single lane, while the TCP Nagrota–Jhajjar Kotli route remained open.
Waterlogging on Canal Road near Government Science College and Government Commerce College slowed traffic, while rainwater entered shops, causing inconvenience to shopkeepers, commuters and pedestrians.
Traffic personnel halted vehicular movement on affected stretches to prevent congestion and ensure safety.
Residents questioned the effectiveness of drainage and other infrastructure works undertaken under the Jammu Smart City project, alleging that the heavy rainfall had exposed shortcomings in the city’s drainage system.
The heavy rainfall, coupled with recent hailstorms, caused extensive damage to standing paddy crops in rural areas, particularly GhouManhasan, RS Pura and Suchetgarh. Farmers reported losses due to water accumulation and destruction of crops.
Bishnah MLA Dr Rajeev Kumar Bhagat visited Shahpur, Khairi Chakra, Chimna, Chak Nandpur and Bahadurpur with officials from the Agriculture and Revenue departments. He directed officials to conduct field-level assessments and document crop losses for further action under government norms.
Farmers were advised to report losses under the applicable crop insurance scheme and contact helpline 14447 for guidance.
Senior Jammu and Kashmir Apni Party leader Mohammad Arif separately visited RS Pura and Suchetgarh to assess the damage. He urged the Central and J&K governments to deploy survey teams and provide timely compensation. He also sought subsidised seeds and fertilisers for the next crop season, a waiver of Kisan Credit Card loans and a reduction in electricity charges.
The extent of damage to houses, vehicles, public infrastructure and crops was yet to be fully assessed. Sunday’s record rainfall highlighted the vulnerability of low-lying neighbourhoods, drainage networks and road stretches near streams to sudden flooding, while search efforts for the missing woman continued.
