Gopal Sharma
JAMMU, Aug 13: Heavy rain and floods affected normal life in many parts of the region as water entered many localities in Jammu city, Kathua and Samba and forced suspension of traffic at many places while as a 5-year old boy was washed away in swollen nallah near CTM, Kathua and six trapped persons in Bei nallah near Ghagwal were rescued by locals and police in district Samba today.
Reports from Samba said that flash flood due to heavy rain in the area during the day, a Maruti car got trapped in the Bei nallah at Nichla Surrara in Ghagwal block. The incident took place when the family was on way to their home at the village after meeting their relatives. When they were crossing nallah in the car, the water level was low. It suddenly started rising and their car also got trapped. They left the car and ran towards the middle where some dry portion of nallah existed.
The water level had gone high and the car also got washed away at some distance down the nallah. The trapped family members of Thoru Ram, including three children and two women started raising alarm. The villagers gathered at the bank of river. They contacted Police Control Room Samba and DC Samba. They directed SHO Ghagwal to rush to the spot.
The SHO Ghagwal Inspector Chaman Ghorkha along with some force and Civil Defence team reached the site and started rescue operation with the help of locals. After two hour operation, all the six trapped members were rescued. They were identified as Benti Devi, wife of Bajju Ram, Thoru Ram, son of Tilak Raj, Meetu, wife of Rakesh Kumar, Gokul, son of Rakesh Kumar, Rakesh Kumar, son of Subash Chander, all from Surrara and Gugu, son of Mulakh Raj of Chadwal. SSP Samba Israr Khan and DC R K Verma were personally supervising the operation. The flood in Bhabbar Nallah on Ghagwal-Rajpura-border road disrupted movement of traffic on this road over three hours and Samba-Sumb and Goran road for more than four hours today.
Meanwhile, 5-year-old Ibrar Alam, son of Mohd Obin Alam, resident of UP and presently working in CTM Kathua, slipped into a flooded nallah near Chenab Taxtile mill and got washed away. Some people chased the boy and managed to drag him out at some distance down the nallah. He was rushed to Kathua hospital but he was declared as dead.
The flood in other nallahs and Ujh also created havoc in Kathua area due to heavy rain while traffic on old Samba Kathua road was also affected for more than four hours near Sherpur due to flood. Due to diversion of flood water of two- three nallahs towards Sherpur, 2-3 the villages are under threat of flood and bund was also got breached four days back. The locals alleged that just to provide benefit to the two stone crusher owners, who have encroached upon huge land along the nallahs, the water has been diverted by the Flood Control Department to one side and it has caused massive damage to road and bund and is posing threat to the villagers.
Several link roads have been blocked in the district while Basohli-Bani road also remained closed due to land slides for some time. Water entered into several localities in Kathua and people had to face problems. In Samba town, the water entered into Indira Colony and people had to flush out the flooded drain water.
In Jammu city, the rain water of nallahs created havoc, affected movement of traffic on the road and also entered many localities like Digiana, Gangyal, Nanak Nagar, Greater Kailash, Preet Nagar, Qasim Nagar, Rajiv Colony, Channi Rama and several other areas. In Tawi, the water level was below alert mark while might Chenab was flowing near danger mark as water level was recorded 29 ft in the river at around 6 pm. At 12 noon the water level was nearly 26 ft and reached 27 ft around 3 pm. The water then started receding. Due to flood, massive land erosion has been reported in the low lying areas.
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