Foot bridge over Anas collapses, 8000 people hit
*Basohli- Bani, Kandi-Budhal roads closed
Gopal Sharma
JAMMU, Sept 8: Heavy rain lashed large parts of the Jammu region today bringing major relief to the people from hot and humid conditions with the Weather department forecasting intermittent light to moderate rainfall in the next two days.
A population of over 8000 souls has been cut off as a portion of foot bridge over river Anas in Kewal and Kangota area of Budhal collapsed while landslides blocked Rajouri-Kandi-Budhal and Basohli- Bani roads today.
The chopper service to Mata Vaishnodevi Shrine from base camp Katra also remained suspended due to rain and bad weather. However, the pilgrimage through foot track remained smooth.
Official sources said that an approach road leading to the Government Medical College, Kathua was washed away with the heavy rains while several areas witnessed water-logging due to overflowing drains and Nallahs.
A MeT spokesman said that Katra town, the base camp for the pilgrims visiting the Mata Vaishno Devi shrine, recorded the highest rainfall of 52.8 mm today. The pilgrimage was going on smoothly despite rains which were still continuing when last reports were received in the evening. The helicopter service which was suspended in the morning could not be resumed till this evening.
Besides Reasi and Udhampur districts, rain lashed many other parts of Jammu region including Kathua, Samba, Kishtwar, Poonch, Rajouri, Doda and Ramban districts.
Jammu city registered 18.5 mm and Kathua 13.2 mm of rainfall till 8.30 am while it was still raining heavily, the MeT spokesman said.
The official predicted that intermittent light to moderate rain is likely in the next two days. “The weather will remain mainly dry thereafter and there is no major rainfall for next 10 days.”
Jammu city on Tuesday recorded a minimum temperature of 25.8 degrees Celsius, 2.4 notches above the normal for this time of the season, and a maximum of 33 degrees Celsius.
The official said rains raised water levels in streams and rivers across Jammu, triggering shooting of stones from the hillocks surrounding many different roads. The traffic on Bani-Basholi road in Kathua district was suspended after shooting of stones at three places. Due to flash flood in Sukha Nallah near Bhoond and landslides near Gatti Morh, Bano road was badly hit. It could be restored around 7.30 pm late this evening. Many vehicles remained stranded since morning. Billawar-Machedi and Lohai Malhar roads in Kathua have also been closed due to land slides.
Heavy rainfall in Kathua town hit the normal life as the rain water entered into the houses of down stream area of Kathua. The Ward Nos 3, 5, 6, 9, 17 College and Nagari Road were flooded due to heavy rainfall. The rain water also entered a number of houses and caused loss to property.
The National Highway at Hatli Morh was flooded today causing serious problem for road users. A tractor was trapped in flooded water on highway. Despite regular trouble caused in the area, National Highway Authority of India did not bother to make arrangements of free flow of rainy water. The residents of Hatli Morh expressed serious concern over the neglecting attitude of National Highway Authorities.
The traffic on the Jammu-Poonch National Highway also remained suspended for over an hour due to overflowing of a stream near Manjakote in the Rajouri district.
Reports from Rajouri said that due to landslide, the road between Kandi and Budhal was blocked and it could not be restored till this evening. An approach road and some portion of an old foot bridge between Lower Kewal village of Budhal and Kangota areas over Anas river collapsed during heavy rain this morning. The population of over 8000-9000 has been cut off from Budhal and Kotranka tehsil headquarters.
Heavy rains lashed in Jammu region early morning on Wednesday thus water-logging roads and causing trouble to commuters. However, MeT has also issued a warning and forecast a fresh spell of rain in the next few days. Rain water gushed inside the houses in many low lying areas of Jammu city.
The water level in River Tawi also swelled due to continuous rain in the upper reaches. The rain water entered many houses in low lying areas like Bhagwati Nagar, Talab Tillo, Jewel Chowk, Rajinder Nagar, Qasim Nagar, Vinayak Bazar, Dogra Chowk, Krishna Nagar, Gandhi Nagar, Green Belt etc.
A Weatherman said that currently, it’s raining at many places in Jammu and at scattered places in Kashmir. “This spell of rain is most likely to decrease gradually and stop thereafter,” he said.
He added that in the next four days, intermittent light to moderate rain is likely especially in morning and evening during the next two days and mainly dry thereafter. There is no forecast of any major rainfall for the next 10 days, he said. The rain, however, has also brought respite prevailing from humid conditions in the region.
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