Flash flood on Tuesday hit Pahalgam as Lidder River swelled after heavy rain and several areas have been inundated. The Leader River is overflowing after heavy rains in Pahalgam in South Kashmir, causing sudden floods in the area. Overflow of water has flooded roads, making driving difficult. Relievingly, no casualties or damage have been reported so far.
IMD issues an alert for heavy rains, landslides
Besides Pahalgam, heavy rains have also put a brake on the pace of life in Kulgam and Shopian. The Met Department has issued an alert for heavy rains, mudslides, landslides and cloud bursts in several parts of Kashmir over the next few hours.
The heavy rains affected parts of Jammu and Kashmir as the Meteorological Centre Srinagar has predicted a decline in rainfall activity from Thursday. Meanwhile, weather office said the Union Territory is likely to experience generally dry weather from September 2 to 10, although isolated to scattered rain or thundershowers may occur during the period.
IMD predicts intense showers at vulnerable locations
The Meteorological Centre has also cautioned that intense showers at vulnerable locations could trigger flash floods, mudslides and landslides. Officials said that the swollen Lidder and waterlogged roads in Pahalgam prompted monitoring of water levels and local conditions as rainfall continued in parts of the region.
In the meantime, all schools were ordered shut in Poonch district on Tuesday due to heavy rain and swelling rivers and nallahs, officials said. The decision was announced in a notice issued by the chief education officer. The situation in the district is being closely monitored, officials said.
Death toll in Nepal flash flood rises to 1,003
In another development, the death toll from the devastating flash floods in Nepal rose to 1,003 on Tuesday, with security forces recovering more bodies from eight districts of the country, officials said. Rescuers struggled to trace those stranded amid intermittent rainfall and a fresh flood alert as water levels rose in rivers across eastern, central and western Nepal.
Around 4,000 people, including 583 foreigners and several security personnel, still remain missing, while nearly 12,000 have been rescued, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority (NDRRMA) said.
Flash floods, triggered by a collapse or avalanche of ice and rock near the Nepal-Tibet border, devastated towns and villages in northern and central Nepal on August 26. The Bhotekoshi River, which flows south from the Himalayan border region, carried the floodwaters downstream, sweeping away homes, vehicles, roads and bridges and damaging hydropower projects. The disaster also killed 16 people on the Chinese side, while nearly 550 people remain missing in Tibet, according to Chinese media reports.
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