Flooding in IIOJK Claims Lives and Displaces Hundreds

Four individuals, including three minors, have perished, and over 350 families have been left homeless due to severe flooding triggered by continuous heavy rainfall across the Kashmir Valley and Jammu region in the past four days. The floods have also caused substantial damage to infrastructure, including roads and buildings. According to Kashmir Media Service, the floods resulted not only in human casualties but also in significant livestock losses, with several heads of cattle and over four dozen sheep killed due to flash floods and collapsed cattle sheds. Major infrastructure in the Kupwara district, such as bridges and the Doban Kachama dam, has been severely affected, with the Shumryal- Gundajhanger road being cut off due to scouring. The flooding has overwhelmed major and minor highways, forcing closures across various districts including Baramulla, Pulwama, and Islamabad in Kashmir, as well as Samba and Kathua in the Jammu region. Authorities have closed schools and the University of Kashmir has pos
tponed all scheduled exams for Tuesday as a precautionary measure. Waterlogging in residential areas of Srinagar and other low-lying regions has exacerbated the crisis, with all rivers, including the Jhelum and the Sindh stream, currently swollen. Residents near rivers and mountain streams have been advised to remain vigilant amid the ongoing adverse weather conditions.