| Jammu battles under century's second-highest August rainfall, schools shut as floods wreak havoc | | 190mm precipitation recorded in 24 hours, deluge devastates region , bridge collapses, students evacuated |    |  Sanjay Pandita
Early Times Report
Jammu, Aug 24: Heavy overnight rainfall battered several parts of Jammu province, causing widespread flooding in low-lying areas, damaging property, and severely disrupting normal life across multiple districts on Sunday. The torrential downpour forced authorities to announce the closure of all schools in the Jammu division and the cancellation of examinations scheduled for Monday, while Chief Minister Omar Abdullah directed all departments to remain on high alert to tackle the deteriorating flood situation. Jammu, the winter capital, recorded a staggering 190.4 mm of rainfall in the 24 hours ending 8:30 am Sunday, marking the second-highest downpour for August in the past century. The highest remains 228.6 mm recorded on August 5, 1926, while the previous second-highest was 189.6 mm on August 11, 2022.
A vital bridge on the Jammu-Pathankot national highway near Logate Morh in Kathua district suffered major damage when the overflowing Sahar Khad stream swept through it, causing the structure to collapse in the middle. Traffic on both bridges across the stream was immediately halted, with vehicles being diverted through alternate routes.
Deputy Commissioner Kathua Rajesh Sharma confirmed significant damage to the old bridge while expressing concerns about the new one's structural integrity. "The old bridge has developed significant damage. There was also some doubt about the condition of the new one, so as a precaution we immediately closed it," he said, adding that highway authorities and engineers were being called in for inspection.
Floodwaters inundated several areas of Jammu city, entering homes in Janipur, Roop Nagar, Talab Tilloo, Jewel Chowk, New Plot, and Sanjay Nagar. House boundary walls collapsed, and nearly a dozen vehicles were swept away in flash floods, according to officials. | | |
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