· Key stretches of Balipara-Charduar-Tawang road were blocked by landslides on Wednesday evening.
· Jammu-Srinagar National Highway was closed for traffic on Thursday due to landslides and washed off road patches.
· Shivraj Singh Chouhan, Arvind Kejrival, and Bhagwant Mann to visit flood-hit areas of Punjab today.
Torrential rainfall in Himachal Pradesh continues, as rivers Beas and Sutlej swell, inundating seasonal rivulets and causing large parts of North India to remain fatally flooded. Authorities report rescue operations are underway on war footing, while restoration attempts aim to clear blocked highways caused by landslides and fallen boulders.
Heavy rain-triggered landslides occurred on Wednesday evening near Jang town in Arunachal Pradesh’s Tawang District, which blocked key stretches of the strategic Balipara-Charduar-Tawang (BCT) road providing critical supply line to the frontier zones.
Traffic movement was restored by the Border Roads Organization (BRO) by Wednesday midnight to ensure smooth movement of military convoys and essential supplies. The BRO personnel also provided stranded tourists with food and drinking water.
Trains were suspended in Himachal Pradesh on Tuesday, while 1311 roads were closed and schools shut down, as the local Met Office issued a red alert for extreme rainfall in remote areas. The Shimla-Kalka National highway was obstructed by a landslide, stranding large numbers of vehicles on both sides. The situation remains dire in interior areas, where link roads are blocked. Efforts are being made to move 5000 Manimahesh pilgrims stuck in Chamba back home, and sixteen pilgrims have died since the yatra began on August 15. SEOC data showed at least 327 people have died in rain-related incidents and road accidents, while 41 are missing since monsoon began.
People living in houseboats on the Dal Lake were issued advisories by the Jammu and Kashmir Lakes Conservation and Management Authority on Thursday to take precautionary measures in case water from the River Jhelum, which has crossed the danger mark of 21 feet, needs to be diverted to the lake.
An official spokesperson of the authority said the gate at Ram Munshi Bagh may be opened at any time, causing further rise in the water level of Dal Lake, currently standing at 10.5 feet, and posing significant risks to those living on and around the Lake. They have been requested to remain prepared to shift to designated relief centers if required.
The Jammu-Srinagar National Highway was closed for traffic on Thursday due to multiple landslides and washed off road patches, as a result of heavy rainfall. Additionally, all other surface links connecting Kashmir Valley to the rest of the country were closed off. The highway, along with other inter-regional roads, had been closed off since August 26 and was partially reopened on Monday to facilitate the movement of some stranded vehicles.
Traffic police advisory announced all commuters belonging to Katra and Udhampur town are requested to keep their photo ID cards to prove their identification so their movement can be facilitated smoothly. They also mentioned restoration work is currently underway at affected places in the Udhampur-Ramban-Banihal section, and on the Jammu-Rajouri-Poonch National Highway to reconnect Rajouri and Pooch.
Most affected areas include Shalgadi, Nachilana, Panthyal, Maroog and Peerah in Ramban-Banihal. Several inter-district roads in Kathua, Rajouri, Doda, Kishtwar, Ramban and Reasi also remain shut due to landslides and boulders.
Kashmir’s connectivity with the rest of the country is currently reliant solely on air travel, with flights operating from Srinagar airport, and on the railway network connecting Katra to Srinagar. The region primarily depends on road transport, particularly the Jammu-Srinagar highway, for movement of essential supplies, passengers and trade.
An inter-ministerial team has been deputed by the Central Government to conduct detailed ground visits to the flood-affected areas in the Jammu region over the next four days to assess the actual scale of losses and damage caused by the recent rains. The team comprises officials from the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, Ministry of Power, Ministry of Rural Development, Department of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Ministry of Jal Shakti, and Ministry of Finance, and is looking at damage caused to essential infrastructure, including roads, power supply, and water supply schemes.
A high-level meeting was also chaired by Chief Secretary Atal Dulloo on Wednesday at which Dulloo took a detailed appraisal of the availability and functioning of essential services across the Valley and stressed the uninterrupted supply of essential commodities to the public.
The flood situation in Punjab has been further compounded by a fresh spell of heavy rains on Wednesday, which raised the death toll to 37 while crops on 1.75 lakh hectares of land in 23 districts were damaged. This is reportedly the worst deluge in the state since 1988, and rescue operations are underway for over 3.55 lakh people who remain stranded in 1655 villages. Alerts have been sounded in Rupnagar and Patiala districts, urging people to remain vigilant and for educational institutions to remain closed till September 7.
Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan is expected to visit the flood-hit areas in Punjab today to review the extent of crop-damage, while Aam Admi Party convener Arvind Kejrival, along with Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, will also assess the same.
Water levels in the Bhakra dam have risen to 1678.97 feet, against its maximum capacity of 1680 feet, and officials have warned Nangal’s villages may be affected by water discharge from the dam. The Rupnagar administration issued an alert on Thursday urging people living near the Sutlej to move to safer places.
The Tangri river has also risen close to the danger mark in Ambala and is expected to rise in Patiala. Gurdaspur, Amritsar, Mansa, Ferozepur, and Fazlika are among the worst hit districts in terms of agricultural losses, and 37 lives have been lost across 12 districts, with three people currently missing in Pathankot. Highest fatalities have been reported in Hoshiarpur.
A Kapurthala-based firm is making and delivering boats to supplement relief operations in Punjab, as boats are the only means to access several flood-hit areas in the region. Pritpal Singh Hanspal from Hanspal Traders said he is doing “sewa’ by giving boats to those in need and publicising the design of the boats so small factories can also easily manufacture the boats.
(with inputs from PTI)
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