Srinagar: A mother and son duo drowned after being washed away by floodwaters in Jammu and Kashmir’s Bandipora district, as rains lashed most parts of the valley for the second consecutive day on Wednesday, leading to an increase in the levels of several water bodies, officials said.
Flash floods were triggered by the rains in the upper reaches of north Kashmir district.
The woman, Gudi Begum, and her 14-year-old son Amir Khatana, residents of Bonibal Tangath area, died after they were swept away by the raging floodwaters in a nallah while attempting to retrieve firewood.
A rescue operation was launched by the administration immediately after the incident, the officials said, adding, however, later both bodies were recovered.
Rainfall continued in most parts of the Kashmir valley on Wednesday. The MeT Office said that Srinagar received 13 mm of rainfall from 8:30 am till 5:30 pm.
Qazigund 33.2 mm, Pahalgam 16.6 mm, Kupwara 6.5 mm, Kokernag 32.2 mm, Gulmarg 35 mm, and Baramulla 30 mm, it said.
The weather department said the wet weather resulted in a several degree decrease in the day temperatures across the valley.
Srinagar city recorded the maximum temperature of 20 degrees Celsius — 9.9 degrees below the normal for this time of the season.
The continuous rainfall led to an increase in the levels of several water bodies in the valley, a few of which are flowing near the flood-declaration mark, the officials said.
The Lidder river in Pahalgam, a major tributary of the Jhelum river, crossed the flood declaration mark (FLM) of 1.5m.
Sheshnag Nallah, flowing through the Betaab Valley in Pahalgam as well, also crossed the FLM of 1.4m, while the Awoora stream, also in Pahalgam, is also witnessing flood-like conditions as water level has risen sharply, the officials said.
They said there has been a rise in the levels of Jhelum river, its tributaries and other streams across the valley. However, the Jhelum river is flowing much below the alert levels.
In Tangmarg area of north Kashmir’s Baramulla district, the flashflood waters inundated orchards and farm lands, they said. A landslide was also reported in the district.
The authorities have advised people not to venture near rivers, water channels, nallahs, and other flood-prone areas.
They added the administration is closely monitoring the situation arising out of the continuous rainfall.
The authorities have put the respective District Disaster Management Authority (DDMA) on high alert and are conducting field inspections to assess the situation in their respective jurisdictions.
Various sectoral officers also visited vulnerable locations, monitored water levels in rivers and nallahs, reviewed flood preparedness measures, and assessed the availability of essential resources to ensure prompt response in case of any emergency, the officials said.
