J&K flash floods, cloudbursts: 150 lives lost, 178 injured, 33 missing

Srinagar, Sep 23: Flash floods and cloudbursts that struck Jammu and Kashmir in August and September claimed 150 lives, left 33 persons missing, and caused property damage worth crores.
According to the figures available, Kishtwar District recorded the highest number of casualties where 33 persons are still missing. “A total of 150 people lost their lives while 178 persons were injured” data reveals, adding, “Over 13600 houses were damaged fully, severely or partially across the region during the recent natural calamities.”
According to the figures 864 houses were damaged in Kashmir of which 16 were fully damaged, 57 severely and 791 partially.
An official said that the relief has already been disbursed in all these cases.
On agricultural losses, more than 12,500 hectares of land got affected and nearly 315 hectares were hit in Horticulture sector, primarily in Anantnag, Kulgam and Pulwama districts with estimated losses of about Rs 59 lakh.
In Jammu, 12,800 houses were damaged. Of them, 4,200 houses were fully damaged and over 8,600 partially damaged. The data revealed that the worst-hit districts are Udhampur and Jammu.
Besides, 758 were declared unsafe after the government conducted safety audit of 8,800 schools in Jammu division.
It may be recalled that soon after the flash floods and landslides hit Jammu and Kashmir, Union Home Minister Amit Shah arrived in Jammu on August 31 and toured the flood-hit Jammu and assured the victims of relief and rehabilitation.
Shah accompanied by Lt Governor Manoj Sinha, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah and Leader of Opposition in the J&K Assembly Sunil Sharma and other top officials toured different areas in Jammu region to assess the situation.
He met the flood victims at Mangu Chak, one of the worst-hit villages near Jammu Airport, and took the first-hand account of the situation. He interacted with the villagers and assured them proper relief and rehabilitation.
Shah also visited Tawi bridge near Bikram Chowk and inspected the damage along the riverbanks.
Shah during his Jammu visit also chaired a meeting attended by LG Sinha, CM Omar, LoP Sharma, the DGP of police, and several officials of the Centre and the Union Territory administration.
Shah also reviewed the damage caused to the border security grid by the flash floods.
Before the Home Minister’s visit, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh visited Jammu on August 24 to take stock of the situation following flash floods triggered by a cloudburst in Chisoti village in Kishtwar district. However, Singh’s plan to visit the devastated village couldn’t materialize due to inclement weather and the blocking of a road by a landslide in Paddar Sub-division. (KNO)