JAMMU
: All schools — both govt & private — will remain shut in Jammu Division on Aug 26 in view of inclement weather as cloudbursts and flash floods are likely across J&K over the next 48 hours, Jammu directorate of school education stated in an order on Monday.Earlier in the day, four people — including a two-year-old child, Thein resident Shafi (60), his wife Reshma (50), and their daughter Parveena (28) — were trapped in a flash flood in Shahpur Kandi Ravi river in Kathua district. A joint team of personnel from Pathankot Police, NDRF, SDRF, and the local administration rescued them in an operation led by Kathua SSP Shobhit Saxena.IMD on Monday predicted moderate to intense rainfall with a possibility of cloudbursts, flash floods, and landslides — especially in high-altitude areas — in Jammu, Samba, Kathua, Reasi, Udhampur, Rajouri, Ramban, Doda, and Kishtwar districts until Aug 27.“On Tuesday, the weather is expected to turn severe. Several parts of Jammu region may receive heavy to extremely heavy rainfall,” the IMD forecasted, adding that shooting stones, landslides, and flash floods may disrupt travel across various mountain passes on Tuesday.Due to intense rainfall, the water levels in some streams and rivers are likely to breach the flood alarm mark, IMD warned, advising citizens to strictly avoid trekking and venturing into mountainous areas in Jammu until Aug 27. The weather department advised residents in low-lying and flood-prone areas to stay cautious due to the risk of overflowing streams and rivers.Meanwhile, the J&K UT disaster management authority, in an SMS broadcast to citizens, notified: “Possibility of heavy rain/thunder at many places of Anantnag, Kulgam, Shopian, Pulwama, Ganderbal, and Budgam in the next 40 hours. Possibility of cloudbursts/flash floods/landslides at a few vulnerable places. Stay away from nallas/riverbanks/loose structures, etc. Stay alert. Dial 112 for EMERGENCY.”
