Heavy rain in the plains and snowfall in the upper reaches have brought back the winter chill in the Kashmir Valley. The incessant rain has triggered landslides, while floodwaters have inundated many low-lying villages.
The winter chill is back in Kashmir due to the incessant rain and heavy rainfall.
Srinagar,UPDATED: Apr 30, 2024 11:28 IST
Incessant, heavy rain and subsequent floods have lashed the plains of the Kashmir Valley for the past three days, triggering landslides and inundating several low-lying villages in Kupwara and Handwara. Meanwhile, areas in the valley's upper reaches, including Gulmarg and the Mughal Road, received fresh snowfall, which brought back the winter chill to the region.
Schools across the valley were ordered to remain closed on Tuesday.
The regional Meterological Department had predicted wet weather to continue across Jammu and Kashmir at least until Tuesday evening.
However, an improvement in the weather is likely from Tuesday evening onwards, and it will be "generally dry with no major activity from May 1 to May 5".
As a result of the torrential rain, the Jhelum river passed the flood declaration level in Srinagar on Tuesday morning, while all major rivers and streams, including the Pohru Nallah in Kupwara district, were flowing close to the danger mark as a result of the massive increase in the water levels.
The local administration has activated control rooms to monitor the water levels in Jhelum and other water bodies of Kashmir.
Some areas of Handwara and Kupwara towns have been waterlogged, as a result of which, authorities from the district administration have deployed the local police, Army, CRPF and the SDRF to carry out rescue operations.
A flash flood in Anantnag's Qazigund area also partially damaged the Nawa Bonigam Bridge.
As a precautionary measure, the Directorate of School Education, Kashmir, announced the closure of all schools in the valley on Tuesday.
The University of Kashmir has also postponed all examinations that were scheduled to be held on Tuesday.
Meanwhile, fresh snowfall was reported in areas along the Line of Control, as well as the Kashmir Valley's hilly areas.
The Drass valley in Kargil and Gurez in Bandipora recorded 10 to 12 inches of snowfall as of Tuesday morning.
Tourists flocked to the popular skiing destination of Gulmarg following a fresh spell of snowfall.
(Inputs by Mir Fareed and PTI)
Published By:
Karishma Saurabh Kalita
Published On:
Apr 30, 2024
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