Home / Disasters and Accidents / Deadly Rains Ravage Jammu and Kashmir, Raising Questions About Delayed Response
Deadly Rains Ravage Jammu and Kashmir, Raising Questions About Delayed Response
28 Aug
Summary
- 138 lives lost in 12 days due to rain-related incidents
- Meteorological department issued weather alerts, but administration delayed suspending pilgrimages
- Jammu recorded highest-ever one-day rainfall of 380mm
In the past two weeks, heavy rains in Jammu and Kashmir have led to a series of tragic incidents, claiming a total of 138 lives, including 131 pilgrims. The incidents occurred in the Kishtwar, Kathua, and Reasi districts, raising serious questions about the delay in the administration's response.
Despite the meteorological department issuing regular weather forecasts and alerts about the impending heavy rains, cloudbursts, flash floods, and landslides, the administration failed to suspend the Machail Mata Yatra and Vaishno Devi pilgrimage in a timely manner. This delay has been criticized as "criminal neglect" by a senior police officer.
The situation has been exacerbated by the record-breaking rainfall in Jammu, which recorded 380mm of rainfall in a 24-hour period, the highest since the meteorological center started recording data in 1974. This figure is almost equivalent to Jammu's monthly average for August, and it has led to a flood-like situation across Jammu and Kashmir.
The meteorological department has predicted an improvement in the weather, with generally cloudy conditions and intermittent light to moderate rain expected in the coming days. However, the damage caused by the heavy rains and the loss of lives have raised serious concerns about the preparedness and response of the authorities in the region.
