Kashmir Impulse Desk

Srinagar, July 29

Heavy rain triggered flash floods in south Kashmir’s Kulgam district, damaging homes, orchards and standing crops and killing a cow, officials and residents said, hours after similar flooding in north Kashmir’s Bandipora.

Floodwaters surged through Dardgund village in the Devsar area late on Tuesday after heavy rain caused the Nallah Sadhnag to swell, washing away two cowsheds and a cow, residents said.

Mud, stones and debris were left across paddy fields, orchards and vegetable gardens, while floodwaters entered residential areas.

“It was around 10 pm that torrents of water suddenly swept through the village. Within a blink of an eye, we lost everything,” farmer Bashir Ahmad Lone said.

Another resident, Abdul Ahad Mir, said household belongings were washed away before families could move them to safety.

Teams from the State Disaster Response Force, police and the district administration evacuated residents and began clearing debris and assessing damage to homes, livestock shelters and farmland, an official said.

Kulgam Deputy Commissioner Shahzad Alam visited the affected village and said losses would be assessed before compensation was finalised. He directed officials to speed up restoration of damaged roads, drinking water and electricity infrastructure.

Authorities provided immediate assistance, including cash and food kits, to affected families.

Devsar lawmaker Peerzada Feroze said he would raise the issue with the government and seek adequate compensation.

The flooding in Kulgam followed flash floods in the Aloosa area of Bandipora on Tuesday evening, where overflowing streams and irrigation canals sent muddy water into paddy fields, kitchen gardens and residential compounds. No casualties were reported.

Independent weather forecaster Faizan Ahmad said the incidents were likely caused by intense, localised rainfall rather than necessarily by cloudbursts.

“A cloudburst is about 100 mm of rain in an hour. But even lower amounts of intense rainfall over a short period can trigger flash floods in mountainous terrain,” he said.

The Meteorological Centre in Srinagar has forecast unsettled weather across Jammu and Kashmir through August 4, with intermittent rain and thundershowers at many places.

Director of the Meteorological Centre Mukhtar Ahmad said Kashmir was likely to receive light to moderate rain, while parts of the Jammu region could see intense showers on July 30 and 31, with peak activity expected overnight on July 30.

Authorities warned that intense rainfall could trigger flash floods, landslides, mudslides, shooting stones and rockfalls in vulnerable areas, urging residents, tourists and travellers to avoid streams and landslide-prone locations.