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| 1304 villages badly affected, 213 dead, 15000 residential houses damaged | | Flash-floods leave Jammu region devastated | | Syed Junaid Hashmi
JAMMU, Sept 8: Flash floods have spell devastation and disaster in around 1304 villages of Jammu region leaving 213 dead with Rajouri, Jammu and Poonch districts being worst hit.
358 villages have got affected in Rajouri district while around 80 villages were hit by flash floods in Jammu district. In Rajouri district, 3042 residential houses have got fully damaged while 6198 have suffered partially. Jammu district which witnessed several rivers and streams crossing danger mark saw 900 houses getting completely destroyed in the floods and 1100 suffering partial damage.
A number of government buildings in Jammu district have also got either fully or partially damaged but the loss is being assessed and would be calculated only after the actual figures become available to the divisional administration. Though the loss is highest in the case of Poonch district which witnessed one of the worst floods in its history and where 179 villages have got affected but administration there has not communicated officially anything to state government or divisional administration.
An official seeking anonymity said that the administration in Poonch would be ready with actual figures of death and destruction once they get reports from far-flung and remote corners of the district. 504 residential houses have got fully damaged while 996 houses have suffered partial damages in around 110 flood-hit villages of Udhampur district. In Kathua district, 112 residential houses got completely damaged in the flash floods which affected more than 61 villages.
22 government buildings have also suffered extensive damages while 156 residential houses have got partially damaged. Reasi district which is bounded by several villages saw gushing floods water inundating more than 203 villages and causing extensive damages to around 130 residential houses and razing of more than 101 houses to the ground. In Kishtwar district, 156 villages have got affected because of flash floods with administration declaring 22 residential houses as completely damaged and 240 partially including a school building.
110 villages in District Doda were affected by the flash floods with water in streams and drains causing complete damage to around 56 houses and partial damage to around 554 residential houses. 3 shops, 2 Gharats and 1 hut were also damaged. 3 government buildings, seven wooden bridges and 2 Atta Chakies suffered extensive damage in around 127 flood affected villages of District Ramban.
97 houses have got damaged completely while 269 have suffered partial damage in the district. Overall, 4844 houses have got completely damaged in Jammu region while more than 10,000 have suffered partial damages. 3328 cattle sheds have got fully damaged while 2682 have suffered partial damage in the 10 districts of Jammu region collectively. The number of government buildings which have either collapsed or have been declared unsafe are 109.
The number is likely to swell once Poonch administration communicates the actual losses suffered by the state administration and the locals during the flash floods. More than 16,451 people have been evacuated to safer destinations while 16561 have been rehabilitated since they have lost whatever belongings they had. This includes their houses and the property associated with them.
Meanwhile, 147 dead bodies have been recovered so far while around 70 people are still missing from various parts of Jammu region. They are being unofficially confirmed dead but since their bodies have not been recovered, divisional administration is desisting from confirming them as dead. The number of dead in Jammu region goes to 213 if the claims about 70 missing persons of relatives, village level workers alongwith Sarpanches and other local leaders are taken into account.
Divisional Commissioner, Jammu Shantmanu confirmed to Early Times that 69 bodies have been so far recovered in Rajouri district which includes 44 persons who were part of the marriage party and had gone missing after the bus in which they were travelling had got drowned. He added that 21 people have been confirmed dead in Poonch district while 5 others are missing.
Deputy Commissioner (DC) Udhampur Yasha Mudgal while talking to Early Times said, "We have recovered 27 dead bodies and do have 30 others missing. People are saying that they are dead but we would confirm only after the bodies are recovered from the place where people say they got buried under the landslide. If the bodies are found, the figure would be 57. Right now, I can confirm 27 dead and not 57." |
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