NEW DELHI: Heavy rains in Jammu and Kashmir’s Doda district have triggered a flood-like situation, disrupting normal life and forcing the closure of the Jammu-Srinagar highway on Tuesday.According to news agency ANI, the heavy rainfall also caused landslides at multiple locations along the route.Expressing concern over the situation, chief minister Omar Abdullah said that he plans to visit the affected areas in Jammu.“The situation in many parts of the Jammu province is quite serious. I’ll be taking the next available flight from Srinagar to Jammu to personally monitor the developing situation. In the meantime, instructions have been issued to place additional funds at the disposal of the DCs to cover emergency restoration work and other exigencies,” Abdullah posted on X.Earlier today, moderate to heavy rains lashed parts of Jammu division for the third consecutive day on Tuesday, disrupting traffic and inundating low-lying areas, officials said.Traffic along the 250-km Jammu-Srinagar national highway was suspended after landslides and shooting stones were reported from Chanderkote, Kela Morh, and Battery Cheshma in Ramban district. Vehicular movement was halted at Udhampur in Jammu and Qazigund in Kashmir as heavy rainfall continued along the route.Several other roads were also hit, with a portion of Padder road washed away in Kishtwar and landslides blocking the Ramnagar-Udhampur and Jangalwar-Thathri roads. Nearly a dozen houses and cowsheds were reported damaged in higher reaches of Kishtwar, Doda, and Rajouri districts.Rivers and streams across the region are flowing above or near danger marks. The overflowing Modhopur barrage in Kathua has crossed the one lakh cusec mark, triggering flooding in low-lying areas along the Ravi river. The Tawi river crossed the 20-foot danger mark in Udhampur, while the Chenab is flowing close to warning level. The Basanter in Samba also rose above the danger mark on Tuesday morning.According to the meteorological department, Kathua recorded the highest rainfall at 155.6 mm in the past 24 hours, followed by Bhaderwah (99.8 mm), Jammu (81.5 mm), and Katra (68.8 mm).Authorities have issued advisories urging people to stay away from water bodies and landslide-prone areas, with forecasts predicting continued moderate to heavy rainfall across several districts till August 27, along with the risk of cloudbursts, flash floods, and landslides in high-altitude areas.
