Heavy Rains Devastate Jammu Region: Two Killed in House Collapse, Major Roads Remain Closed

Torrential rains continue to batter Jammu region for the second consecutive day, claiming two lives in a house collapse while leaving 40 people trapped in flood-affected areas and forcing closure of critical transportation routes including the Srinagar-Jammu national highway.

Tragic Deaths and Rescue Operations

A mother and daughter were killed when their earthen house collapsed due to heavy rains in Kangri village of Sunderbani, Rajouri district during the early hours of September 3. The victims have been identified as Sita Devi, wife of Rattan Lal, and her daughter Sonia Rattan Lal, both residents of Tanda Kangri in Sunderbani. Rescue teams recovered their bodies from the debris and shifted them to hospital for post-mortem examination.

Meanwhile, 40 people remain trapped in Garkhal village of Akhnoor as the Chenab River flows four feet above the evacuation level of 42 feet. State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) and police teams have been deployed to evacuate the stranded residents to safer locations.

Rivers Cross Danger Levels - Jammu

The Tawi River in Jammu recorded water levels of 15 feet at 8:00 AM, just one foot below the danger mark. As a precautionary measure, authorities closed the fourth Tawi bridge near Bhagwati Nagar for vehicular traffic on Tuesday evening. The bridge had previously suffered damage during the August 26 record rainfall and was temporarily restored by army engineers using a bailey bridge.

Chenab, Jhelum, and other major rivers across the region are flowing above danger levels, with flood discharge from Baglihar and Salal hydroelectric projects causing rapid water level increases. The Vaishow nallah, Sheshnag Nallah, and Lidder Nallah in Anantnag district have already crossed danger marks.

Transportation Network Paralyzed

The Srinagar-Jammu national highway remains closed for the second consecutive day due to multiple landslides and landslips between Udhampur and Banihal. Other critical routes including the Mughal Road, Jammu-Srinagar-Leh national highway, and Jammu-Kishtwar national highway are also blocked following extensive landslides and falling rocks.

Northern Railway has cancelled 68 trains from Jammu and Katra stations until September 30, though 24 trains will resume operations tomorrow. Special shuttle services are operating between Jammu Tawi–Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Katra, Jammu Tawi–Kolkata, and Katra–New Delhi to assist stranded passengers.

Educational Institutions and Safety Measures

All schools and colleges across Jammu and Kashmir have been ordered closed on September 3 as a precautionary measure. The Jammu and Kashmir Board of School Education has postponed Class 10 and 11 examinations scheduled for today.

Police and district administration are using public address systems to warn residents in low-lying areas near riverbanks to relocate to safer places. Emergency helpline numbers 112 and 6005953255 have been activated for urgent assistance.

Weather Forecast and Warnings

The Meteorological Department issued a fresh advisory predicting heavy to very heavy rainfall at many places over Jammu, Kathua, Reasi, Doda, Udhampur, Rajouri, and Ramban districts during the next 14-16 hours. Moderate to heavy rain is also expected over the Pir Panjal range and south Kashmir with heavy rainfall over Kishtwar, Poonch, Anantnag, Shopian, and Kulgam.

Significant rainfall has been recorded across the region since yesterday morning, with Reasi receiving 203mm, Katra 193mm, Batote 157.3mm, Doda 114mm, and Jammu 81mm of precipitation. The IMD has issued red alerts for multiple districts, warning of continued downpours that could trigger additional cloudbursts, landslides, and flash floods.