Inconvenience was inevitable: CM
Irfan Tramboo /Suhail Bhat
Srinagar, Jan 23: Large parts of Kashmir were hit by heavy snowfall today and strong winds last night, disrupting normal life and causing widespread damage to property and power infrastructure. The Valley remained cut off as all roads including National Highway remained closed and all flights at Srinagar airport were cancelled due to snow.
The sudden but anticipated change in the weather system prompted authorities to issue advisories and launch large-scale clearance and rescue operations.
Except for Srinagar, most districts in the Valley received heavy nowfall, with Shopian emerging as the worst affected. However, parts of Srinagar also received light snowfall in the morning and it was snowing in the summer capital since this evening.
The Shopian district recorded nearly two feet of snow in the plains, while higher reaches accumulated up to five feet within a brief 15-hour spell, making it one of the most intense snow events of the season.
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Official data showed fresh snowfall of 55 cm in Shopian, 45 cm in Gulmarg, 20 cm in Kupwara, 17 cm in Pahalgam, 16 cm in Banihal, and 15 cm each in Sonamarg and Kulgam.
The snowfall was preceded by strong, stormy overnight winds, causing extensive damage to residential and commercial structures and severely affecting power infrastructure.
Officials said damage assessment would be carried out after clearance operations.
The Meteorological Department had issued an orange alert on Thursday, warning of thundershowers, lightning and gusty winds as the weather system intensified.
Meanwhile, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah today said that snowfall and strong winds caused significant damage to infrastructure, leading to a sharp drop in electricity supply across the Kashmir valley.
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“In Kashmir valley, we provide 1,700 megawatts of electricity daily. In the morning, it was down to 100 megawatts,” he said. “The demand for 1,600 megawatts was reduced because the system got damaged due to snow and winds. But it is being fixed.”
The Chief Minister said restoration work is underway and assured that the damage would be addressed promptly.
“We will fix the damage caused by the snow today,” he said, adding that he was heading to a review meeting with the Secretary to assess the situation.
Omar acknowledged that many areas have been affected by the snowfall but stressed the long-term benefits.
“The good thing is that we all know that the snowfall in Chillai-e-Kalan gives us water in the summer,” he said.
He added, “Let’s pray to God that there is more rain and snow for tourism and for water in the summer months.”
He said some inconvenience was inevitable. “Many areas are disturbed with this snowfall. But you cannot do both. On one hand, we need snow so that there is no shortage of water in the coming days,” he said.
He added, “Due to a little snow, we have to face difficulties.”
Reassuring residents, the Chief Minister said efforts were being made to restore services as quickly as possible.
“We are working to fix the system as soon as possible. It will take some time in the most remote areas,” he said.
He said, “I want to assure everyone that our officers, engineers, and other linemen are not sleeping. They are in the field and the restoration work is going on fast.”
Officials said the high-intensity winds uprooted trees, damaged rooftops and disrupted electricity supply in Srinagar, Anantnag, Shopian, Kulgam, Budgam and Pulwama districts. The winds also triggered forest fires at several locations across J&K.
According to official figures, wind speeds reached extreme levels, with Shopian recording gusts of up to 155 kmph, followed by Srinagar (84 kmph), Poonch (80 kmph), Reasi (76 kmph) and Jammu (63 kmph).
MeT officials said gusty winds are likely during January 26-27 and that temperatures remained uncongenial in Srinagar due to above-normal readings.
“The sudden rise in temperature, triggered by strong winds, resulted in rainfall instead of snowfall in Srinagar and other plain areas,” MeT Director Srinagar Dr Mukhtar Ahmad said.
Heavy rainfall was also reported during the past 24 hours from Katra (79 mm), Udhampur (77 mm), Jammu (69 mm), Samba (63 mm), Rajouri (56 mm), Qazigund (45 mm) and Srinagar (37 mm).
Deputy Commissioner Srinagar Akshay Labroo said emergency teams worked through the night to restore normalcy.
“Teams from various departments cleared roads and responded to a medical emergency in Dal Lake,” he said, adding that damaged power lines were being repaired.
“Dewatering is being ensured in affected areas, damaged trees are being removed and snow clearance machinery is ready. Damage assessment will be taken up after clearance operations,” he said.
Meanwhile, an unusual weather event was reported from Karnah valley in Kupwara district, where the snowline dropped below 1,000 metres.
The Seemari-Teetwal belt, which rarely receives snow even during peak winters, recorded over two inches of snowfall for the first time since 2005, independent weather forecaster Faizan Arif Keng said.
Security forces and the civil administration also carried out multiple rescue operations amid the harsh conditions.
The Indian Army evacuated two critically ill patients, including a pregnant woman, from the snowbound Vilgam area of Handwara to GMC Handwara.
Police teams across Ganderbal, Shopian, Budgam and Kulgam assisted stranded tourists and residents, cleared hospital access roads, evacuated patients on foot and ensured timely delivery of oxygen and medical aid.
The Weather Department has forecast light to moderate rain or snow at most places till evening of January 23, with the possibility of heavy precipitation over parts of the Chenab Valley, Pir Panjal range and south Kashmir.
Another spell of moderate to heavy rain or snow, accompanied by thunderstorms and gusty winds, is likely during the night of January 26 and 27.
Authorities have warned of possible landslides at vulnerable locations and advised people to avoid unnecessary travel and strictly follow official advisories.
Electricity supply across Kashmir was severely disrupted on Thursday after strong gusty winds damaged the power infrastructure, affecting nearly 80 per cent of the network, officials said.
According to a district-wise status report issued by the Kashmir Power Distribution Corporation Limited (KPDCL) at around 6:07 pm, 108 of the 135 33 kV feeders had been restored, bringing overall restoration at this level to 80 per cent.
While Srinagar, Ganderbal and Anantnag recorded complete restoration of 33 kV lines, areas such as Baramulla and Kupwara remained among the worst affected, with only 22 per cent and 29 per cent of feeders operational, respectively, largely due to disruptions in the 132 kV transmission system.
The situation was more critical at the 11 kV level, where just 741 of the 1,302 feeders-around 56.9 per cent-were functional.
Though Srinagar, Ganderbal and Anantnag reported near-normal supply, prolonged outages continued in Baramulla, Kupwara and Shopian, where restoration stood between 6 and 11 per cent in Baramulla and Kupwara, and a mere 8 per cent in Shopian.
An updated power supply status issued at around 6:30 pm showed further improvement, with 108 33 kV feeders operational (80 per cent) and 754 of the 1,302 11 kV feeders restored, taking availability to nearly 58 per cent.
The total power load in Kashmir stood at 1,041 MW at that time.
Officials said the outages were primarily caused by damage to higher-voltage transmission lines and assured that restoration work was continuing on priority, with teams deployed across the Valley to further stabilise the supply.
An airport authority of India official said that all flights were cancelled at the airport due to snow accumulation.
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