24×7 control rooms set up amid flash flood warning
Jammu: Three private cars were damaged after a 10-foot boundary wall of an army camp collapsed in Rajouri district amid incessant rains which lashed parts of Jammu region for the second day on Tuesday, triggering landslides at several places and increasing water level in rivers and streams, officials said.
Though there was no immediate threat of flash floods, schools in Rajouri, Poonch and Reasi districts remained closed for the day as a precautionary measure, the officials said.
On Monday, landslides struck Vaishno Devi track in Reasi and a school building in Poonch, resulting in the killing of two persons — a pilgrim and a minor student — and injuries to several others including a police officer.
The weather office has forecast moderate to heavy rains at different places in Jammu and Kashmir till Thursday, prompting administrations of various districts to issue advisories asking people to stay away from the swollen water bodies and landslide prone areas.
The officials said a portion of the boundary wall of an army camp collapsed near a bus stand in Rajouri owing to heavy rains, resulting in damage to three parked cars including a sports utility vehicle belonging to civilians.
An earth mover engaged in road widening work along Jammu-Poonch highway near Irwan Khanetar was damaged when it fell down into a gorge after earth beneath it caved-in, the officials said.
Landslides triggered by rains also briefly blocked Jammu-Poonch national highway and several interior roads in both Rajouri and Poonch districts, while a culvert was washed away in Chatral-Mendhar, snapping road connectivity to nearly half-a-dozen remote villages, they said.
A petrol pump was also damaged in Poonch.
According to the meteorological office, Katra town — the base camp for the pilgrims visiting Mata Vaishno Devi shrine in Reasi district — recorded the highest 102.1 mm of rainfall during the past 24 hours ending 8.30 am, while Jammu logged 92.9 mm and Kathua 37.4 mm of rainfall during the same period.
In its advisory, the weather office said there is a possibility of intense showers, gusty winds, heavy to very heavy rain at isolated to scattered places during July 22-24, leading to flash floods with landslides, mudslides and shooting stones at few vulnerable places.
Meanwhile, Authorities set up 24×7 control rooms at almost all district headquarters across the Jammu division amid a flash flood alert by the India Meteorological Department (IMD), officials said.
The IMD issued a guidance bulletin, warning of a low to moderate risk of flash floods in Kathua, Samba, Udhampur, Doda, Kishtwar, Ramban, Reasi, Jammu, Rajouri and Poonch districts over the next 24 hours, the officials said.
In response, the officials said the District Disaster Management Authorities (DDMAs) have been urged to take necessary precautions and measures as per established protocols to ensure public safety and mitigate risks.
The district magistrates in all the 10 districts of Jammu have set up round-the-clock control rooms in their respective headquarters for public assistance, the officials said.
Incessant rains lashed wide parts of Jammu for the second day on Tuesday, while the weatherman had forecast wet weather with heavy rainfall at several places till July 24.
Divisional Commissioner Jammu, Ramesh Kumar, chaired a meeting to take stock of the damages due to torrential rain and restoration works initiated by the district administrations and executing agencies in the region, the officials said.
The deputy commissioners briefed the meeting about the situation in terms of road connectivity, power, water supply, functioning of other essential services like health and medical services, precautionary measures and advisories for public safety.
They also informed about the damage to property and loss of lives, the officials said.
The divisional commissioner directed the deputy commissioners to provide ex-gratia relief to the affected people under SDRF and Red Cross. They were also directed to immediately submit a detailed report of the damages suffered and the repair and restoration works undertaken in their respective districts, the officials added.
