Rajouri/Jammu: Rajouri town was hit by flash floods following incessant overnight rainfall, forcing hundreds of residents to move to safer locations as floodwaters inundated low-lying areas, including the new bus stand early Sunday, officials said.
Dozens of vehicles were swept away or submerged after overflowing rivers breached their banks, causing widespread disruption, the officials said.
They said rescue and relief teams, assisted by the local administration, were engaged in evacuating affected families and assessing the damage, while local Congress MLA Iftkhar Ahmad said there was heavy damage to public and private property in the flash floods.
As a weather advisory warned of moderate to heavy rainfall across Jammu and Kashmir till July 23, the border district of Rajouri experienced relentless rain from Saturday evening, leading to overflowing rivers and streams after a night of heavy downpour.
All the rivers of Rajouri, including Darhali, Khandli, Suktoh and Jamola, got flooded with most of the rivers flowing close to or even above danger mark, leading to submerging of many low-lying areas, the officials said.
They said the Darhali River breached the flood protection wall near Bela Colony in Rajouri town, allowing floodwaters to gush into the new bus stand, where dozens of vehicles were washed away or submerged.
The flooding also severely affected the slum settlement near Abdullah Bridge, forcing over 50 families to flee as water inundated homes and surrounding areas.
Floodwaters also inundated the locality near Tariq Bridge, prompting the police to respond to numerous distress calls and assist residents in evacuating to safer locations away from the riverbanks.
“Our teams are responding to almost every SOS call. At this stage, our priority is to prevent any loss of life. While there has been significant damage to property, the extent of the losses will be assessed once the floodwaters recede,” a police official said.
Police teams were seen patrolling vulnerable areas, making public announcements and urging residents living along riverbanks and in low-lying localities to evacuate immediately in view of the lurking threat of flooding due to the weather forecast.
The district administration has issued an advisory urging residents to remain vigilant, while the police have set up control rooms to monitor the evolving situation and provide assistance to people affected by the flooding.
Rajouri MLA Ahmed, who was scheduled to participate in his party’s protest in support of the restoration of statehood outside Lok Bhavan in Jammu on Sunday, returned to his hometown to assess the flood situation.
“I have abandoned my party programme to stand with my people, as the flash floods have caused extensive damage to public and private property,” Ahmad said.
He urged the district administration to launch immediate relief and rehabilitation measures for the affected families.
