Gopal Sharma
JAMMU, Sept 4: Over 50 members of a marriage party were feared killed in a flooded nallah in Lam area of Nowshera in district Rajouri, nine more persons washed away in Poonch, Rajouri, Udhampur and Reasi areas in floods and nearly 350 houses were damaged at many places while over 200 people are still trapped in Surankote, Poonch and other areas as continuous rain for the last two days and floods created havoc across the region.
High alert has been sounded by the Divisional Administration as the river Chenab, Tawi, Ujh, Suran and Poonch river were flowing above danger mark. Water level in river Chenab near Akhnoor was nine feet above danger mark (44 feet) late this night. It was still rising. A bund along river Chenab near Sitryal breached forcing administration to shift people to the safer places. Many families along river Suran and river Poonch were rescued to the safer places by police and Army. Eight persons trapped in the upper storey of a building at the bank of river Poonch were rescued at around 7 am by SPP Poonch and his team. Later, the building collapsed and its apportion washed away in the flood.
Power supply to entire Poonch and many parts of Rajouri has been snapped as many big electric towers and hundreds of electric poles have been washed away. Entire area has been plunged into darkness. In Poonch city, major water crisis has caused and the Army help has been sought by the District administration.
Jammu-Srinagar, Jammu- Poonch, Jammu-Doda-Kishtwar roads have been closed while connectivity to over 70-75% areas of the region has been snapped.
SSP Rajouri, Mubassar Latiffi told the Excelsior that a major tragedy sent shock waves in the entire area in Nowshera after a bus bearing registration No. JK02AK/9075, carrying over fifty members of a marriage party, including women and children washed away in the over flooded Jameer Nallah in Lam area of Nowshera as large culvert collapsed.
The mishap took place around 12.30 am when the Barat of a Sikh family was going to Lam village from Rajpura Kamila. Bridegroom, Sukhvinder Singh, son of Bhagat Singh, resident of Rajpura Kamila and bus driver Lalit Sharma, hailing from Kampala village in Nowshera also washed away. He said bridegroom’s father Bhagat Singh and some more Batatis were following the bus in another light vehicle and were shocked to see the bus washing away in flood along with baratis. Two persons including a woman managed to jump away and were saved.
SDPO Nowshera, Pardeep Singh, Tehsildar Mohd Nawaz and Naib Tehsildar Suresh Kumar were first to reach the spot along with police rescue team. The Army officers along with jawans from Nowshera brigade also reached shortly. Recovery van of the Army reached at the site within two hour but the rescue operation could not be launched as the water level did not recede and bus had been almost drowned and trapped in the big boulders in the middle of the flooded nallah. Even Army brought its equipment from the nearby units but appeared helpless before constant rain and strong currents of flooded nallah.
Bhagat Singh, father of the deceased ‘groom’ said that ‘barat’ of his son was going to the house of one Surjit Singh at Lam. He said bus was full and some people were even standing. Over a dozen children were also there in the bus. He said it was raining continuously and the ‘barat’ had already been late.
The fortunate survivors Madan Singh, Jyoti Singh and a woman, who jumped out from the bus told that Jameer nallah was flooded heavily. Some flood water was flowing above nearly 100 ft long culvert. The driver stopped vehicle there for some time and then came down for assessment and realized that it had just nearly one foot water over the culvert and the vehicle will cross over with rough idea. Bridegroom was travelling in a car but he too was shifted in the bus along with his mother besides some other baratis for safety reasons.
As the bus reached in the middle, there was crack in the culvert and front wheel of the bus got trapped. Most of the flood water was flowing down the culvert while some was crossing over it. The driver tried to pull back the vehicle and he attempted for 2-3 times. The water level also went on rising and in between the causeway/ culvert collapsed with the load of bus and pressure of dragging it out from wrecked Puli. With in seconds the bus turned turtle and it rolled down and washed away in the strong currents of Jameer nallah. Madan said his four children were also in the bus and he could not save them.
They further disclosed that three members of Antar Singh’s family, three belonging to Bahadur Singh, five of Madan Singh, three of Mohinder Singh and six from Bhagat Singh besides many others were in the bus. The water level did not recede and the rescue operation could not be launched till 10 pm tonight. SSP and DC also returned to district headquarters but SDPO, Tehsildar, police and army jawans besides a large number of villagers and family members of both the sides were on the spot waiting for launching rescue operation.
SSP, Mr Latiffi and DC Rajouri, Jitender Kumar could reach the spot at around 5.30 pm as road had been blocked at several places due to land slides and shooting stones. Some army officers had also reached but rescue operation could not be launched till late. The dead bodies of the deceased could not be retrieved from the wreckage of the bus whose just some portion was visible. The operation is likely to be launched in the morning again if the water level receded, a senior official said.
Jammu-Srinagar National Highway was closed for traffic today due to landslides at various places in Ramban district.
The movement of traffic on the highway was suspended from 4 am onwards today due to landslides at Nashri, Panthial and Khuni Nallah in Ramban. Due to the closure of the road, hundreds of vehicles were stranded and the men and machines of Border Roads Organisation (BRO) were working to clear the highway, a Traffic police official said.
He said Batote-Doda-Kishtwar road was also closed for traffic due to landslides at various places. Reasi-Mahore, Gool- Ramban road is also closed besides Chenani-Dudu- Ramnagar road link.
The highway is blocked at Pul Doda and Assar. Doda-Bhaderwah road was also blocked due to landslides, shooting stones and falling of trees.
Jammu-Rajouri-Poonch road is also closed for traffic due to landslides near BG, Jarran Wali Gali besides various other places on the highway, the police said.
SSP Doda, M S Chouhan said that people have been advised to avoid travel for next couple of days in this area. He said it is quite risky to travel as shooting stones has posed major risk at several places. He said reports of several house- collapse have also been received but there was no loss of life in the area.
The Army launched Operation Op Megh Rahat in flood and rain hit areas of Rajouri and Poonch. Several Army units have been engaged in the operation. Commander Poonch and Nowshera Brigades were themselves were monitoring the situation closely. 31 BRTF men cleared 8 kms road ahead of BG and restored traffic up to Surankote this afternoon. But Mendhar-BG road was still blocked.
Reports from Poonch said that three people washed away to PoK from this side. One of them is Sadhu , labourer –Mohd Fayaz and a pony-walla- Bansi Lal. They were sitting at a shelter of Sadhu at the bank of river Poonch. Flash flood washed them away in the morning. Army and Police rescued about 60 persons trapped at various locations in Poonch and Surankote area since last evening. Eight members of a family who were trapped in first storey of their house since yesterday at the bank of river Poonch in Azad colony were rescued. About 80 houses in this colony have been damaged. Entire area has been cleared and people shifted to safer places.
Another report from Mandi area said that two women namely Zeba Begumm wife of Mohammeda, resident of Bedar and Mishra Begum, wife of Mushtaq, resident of Gagrian (Saujian) washed away in flooded nallas today. Their bodies could not be recovered. From Chamber Kanari area the police and army rescued two boys trapped in a nallah since yesterday. 10-year-old Pushpa, daughter of Prakash, resident of Chappar in Lati area of Chenani was killed due to land slides. Three persons namely Raja Bagum, resident of Kenthi, 8-year-old Shakila, daughter of Mohd Qasim, resident of Tuli Banna in Mahore and Shama, wife of Hassan, Din, resident of Shadole also washed away in floods. About 180 cattle have been killed or washed away in Reasi district in last two days. About ten cattle shed and a dozen houses have also collapsed in the area.
Three tehsils of district Poonch have been put on high alert after a flash flood, biggest since 1959, created wreckage in the area. Movement of vehicles has been stopped while people in the flood prone areas have been moved to safer places. Approach road to the Sher-e-Kashmir bridge has been damaged and several adjoining buildings have been washed away and electricity snapped. Several other bridges in the district have also been washed away which has led to many areas being cut off. There has been a massive loss to property while five more lives have been lost. Over 200 people are still trapped at Potha, Sanai and Khanetar where efforts are being made to rescue these people but due to bad weather conditions authorities are not being able to use helicopters.
In a meeting of prominent citizens convened to discuss the emergent situation that has arisen due to the flash flood in the district, the Deputy Commissioner, Poonch, M H Malik informed all the people about the instant measures that administration took to avert the loss of lives. He assured them that the road connectivity and electricity supply will be restored at the earliest. Special generator sets have been arranged from Army to ensure supply of drinking water by today evening. ”Army and the civil administration are working in close coordination since yesterday morning and we have also requested for Helicopters but due to bad weather they couldn’t take off ’’, said Mr. Malik.
Dy Commissioner said that a rescue team from Rajouri will soon reach Surankote where some people have been trapped in flood water of river Suran. He also said that the administration is ready to meet the demand of civil supplies and this morning 10kg and 15kg bags of atta and rice have been packed by the CAPD department which will be distributed amongst the affected families depending upon the number of family members. Those people who have lost their homes are being relocated to safer places and if needed tents will also be provided to them. Malik appreciated the role of religious institutions especially Zia-Ul-Uloom and Sanatan Dharam Sabha for their cooperation in providing food and comfortable night stay to number of affected families. He asked everyone to cooperate with the administration and work together to restore the life of the affected people to normalcy. He disclosed that Control Room has been set up for the help of the people in emergency.
Mr Malik said that district level officers including ADDC, ADC, ACR, ACD and Tehsildars have been assigned particular flood hit areas and they are constantly monitoring the situation in close coordination with the Army. The Deputy Commissioner has also ordered that all the educational institutions both government and private shall remain closed for next two days in view of rains and flood situation in the district.
About eight big transmission towers and hundreds of poles have washed away or damaged in district Poonch. The power supply has been snapped since yesterday. Fifteen distribution transformers have also washed away. There is no hope of restoration of power in next one week. Besides this, 120 pumping/ water works stations have been damaged in Poonch district. Loss was being assessed by the PHE officials. The water supply has been snapped in many areas. In Mendhar also many pumping stations have been damaged and water entered in over 60 houses in the town, causing damage to public property. Several link roads have been closed.
Official sources said that in Rajouri, about 70 houses were fully collapsed while 136 partially in last two days due to rains and flood. Nearly 50 cattle shed, two dozen culverts/ Pullis and eight water mills damaged/ washed away. From Bela Coloy in Rajouri about 100 families were shifted to safer places as fresh flood water entered many houses near the bank of Rajouri river. Three to four feet water had entered in some localities.
The District administration has already sounded red alert and people have been advised not to venture around rivers and nallas. In Behrote area, about 30 people were trapped in the nallah and were later rescued by army and Police. Due to massive land erosion nearly 1350 kanals land along with crops has washed away. Some of the area were said to be without crop in the entire district. Major damage has been caused to paddy crop. Rajouri- Kotranka-Budhal road was closed and massive damage of houses has been reported from Thannamandi.
Reports of damage caused to houses, Government buildings and roads also received from Kishtwar, Doda, Ramban, Kathua, Samba and parts of Jammu districts. Four houses damaged in Ramnagar tehsil. But there was no loss of life reported from these areas. The people from about half a dozen villages including Bakore, Indri Pattan, Sityral, Datyal in Jourian and Khour were shifted to safer places as Chenab water was flowing 3 ft above danger mark and after breach of bund near Sitryal water spreadin some fields causing damage to crop. The Administration sounded alert in all the low lying areas of Pargwal and Meerpur Kona. Tawi was also flowing near alert mark but no much damages has been reported. Several link roads in Bani, Basohli and Billawar in Kathua and parts of Samba have also been closed due to land- slides and floods in nallahs. The rain paralysed normal life in the entire region and water logging in many parts of Jammu city created problem in free flow of traffic.
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