In the wake of flash floods caused by a sudden cloudburst in Jammu and Kashmir's Kishtwar village, the administration on Thursday established a dedicated control room-cum-help desk to extend timely support to affected residents and pilgrims. The move aims to streamline communication and ensure that essential assistance reaches those in need without delay, as per officials. The numbers provided are: 9858223125, 6006701934, 9797504078, 8492886895, 8493801381, and 7006463710. Besides these, the district control room numbers are 01995-259555 and 9484217492, and the police control room number of Kishtwar is 9906154100.
Five officials have been put on duty for the control room. At least 15 people have been killed and the toll could go higher, officials said. The control room has been set up in Paddar, about 15 km from Chositi village where the disaster struck.
Disaster strikes remote Chositi village
Chositi is at an altitude of 9,500 ft and about 90 km from Kishtwar. A 'langar' set up for devotees bore the brunt of the cloudburst, which led to flashfloods. "A massive Cloud burst in the Chositi area, which could result in substantial casualties. Administration has immediately swung into action, the rescue team has left for the site," Union Minister Jitendra Singh said in a post on X. He said he also spoke to Deputy Commissioner Kishtwar Pankaj Kumar Sharma on the matter.
Two teams of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) have been rushed from Udhampur to Kishtwar. Officials added that the flash floods hit several houses clustered together in the foothills. Officials said it could take up to 20 days for rescue, relief, and recovery operations.
What is a Cloudburst?
A cloudburst is an extreme amount of precipitation in a short period, often leading to sudden floods in hilly or mountainous areas. In such events, rainfall intensity exceeds 100 mm per hour, overwhelming natural drainage systems and causing flash floods, landslides, and river overflows. In this case, the upstream catchment area of Khir Ganga likely received intense rainfall in a concentrated time, resulting in a rapid surge of water downstream.
(With inputs from agencies)
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