Hundreds of rural volunteers were the first to reach the victims of sudden floods and landslides in several villages of Ramban district of Jammu and Kashmir on Sunday amid horrific storms and cloudburst. Two minor brothers and an elderly person died in this flood. Dozens of houses near Panthiyal and a part of the Jammu-Srinagar National Highway were damaged, while it became difficult to reach many villages, which sailed contact with the district headquarters.
Deputy Commissioner Basir-ul-Haq Chaudhary is closely monitoring the ongoing campaign in the affected areas, where educational institutions will remain closed on Monday. Mohammad Hafiz, a resident of Seri Bagna village, told PTI, “I have never seen such a weather in my whole life. At around 4.30 am, the loud sound of cloudburst woke up to me and shouted to help in a short time.”
Three people died in a sudden flood in Seeri Bagna village – Aqib Ahmed (12), his brother Mohammad Saqib (10) and his neighbor Muni Ram (65). Hafiz said, “A part of his house collapsed due to floods, after which we managed to get out both the brothers, but by then both had died.” He said that the volunteers continued the rescue operation despite heavy rains bypassing their fear.
Former sarpanch Tirath Singh said that all the villagers continued their efforts and it is expected that Muni Ram would be taken out, who was trapped alive in the debris. However, the elderly person could not be saved. He said, “It was a terrible scene, as black clouds were hovering up and heavy rains continued. We lost three precious lives and many houses were damaged.” The same view was in Dharam Kund village, where the police immediately took action and rescued more than 100 villagers including women and children.
Asghar Ali, one of the villagers who lost their home, praised the police quick action, saying, “At around 5.30 am, the local drain came in spate after several deafening voices of cloudburst.” Ali’s neighbor and another victim of the flood, Ranjit Singh, said that his three-member family survived and he could not get a single item from the house. He said that many cars were also washed away. The villagers have been given shelter in the government middle school and the administration is providing them necessary assistance including ration. At the same time, Sundari Mohalla and Bohi Bazaar areas were hit by floods, causing debris in homes, shops and hotels. Jugal Kishore Chib said, “Ramban has been destroyed by this disaster.” He hoped to deal with the situation.
The Meteorological Department has predicted the improvement in the weather since Monday after widespread rains in the plains and snowfall in high altitude areas. The Ramban district administration has launched a comprehensive rescue and relief campaign in many parts of the district amidst destructive rains and sudden floods.
Along with Ramban Senior Superintendent of Police Kulbir Singh and other senior officials, Deputy Commissioner Chaudhary reviewed the ground situation and coordinated with special teams engaged in relief efforts. An official said that police, SDRF, civil volunteers, military and other stake departments and agencies are actively engaged in rescue and restoration work in affected areas besides volunteers of local NGOs.
DC Chaudhary said, “The administration is implementing government instructions with great readiness to speed up rescue operations and ensure safety and welfare of the affected people.” He appreciated public reaction in following the advice issued through social media and other communication channels, and said that the vigilance of the people during the disaster played an important role in reducing the loss of life and property.
Confirming that heavy losses of property and damage to infrastructure have been reported from different parts of the district, they appealed to the public to avoid going to risky areas including drains and landslides-prone areas and stay in safe places. The Deputy Commissioner also urged the public to trust only authentic sources of information and to avoid extending rumors or believing them. In view of sudden floods due to bad weather and heavy rains, the Deputy Commissioner said that all government and private schools, colleges and technical education institutions would be closed on April 21.
