NEW DELHI: Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Sunday reviewed the flood situation in Jammu and Kashmir with Lieutenant Governor (LG) Manoj Sinha and Chief Minister (CM) Omar Abdullah as incessant rainfall triggered flash floods in several parts of the Union Territory (UT), particularly in Rajouri and Poonch districts.
Following reports of widespread flooding, Shah spoke to the LG and the CM to assess the situation and coordinate relief efforts.
In a post on X, the Home Minister said he had assured the Jammu and Kashmir administration of all possible assistance from the Centre to ensure the safety of affected residents.
“Spoke with the Lieutenant Governor of Jammu and Kashmir, Shri Manoj Sinha, and Chief Minister Shri Omar Abdullah regarding the situation caused by heavy rainfall and assured them of all possible assistance from the Central Government,” Shah posted.
The heavy rainfall led to flash floods across Rajouri district, prompting multiple rescue operations. In one such operation, two people stranded in the Muradpur area were rescued after rising river waters cut off their escape routes.
Deputy Commissioner Abhishek Sharma is reportedly to have said rescue teams acted promptly to evacuate the stranded individuals safely.
He urged residents to stay away from rivers, streams and other vulnerable areas as water levels remain dangerously high due to continuous rainfall.
Authorities have also appealed to the public to follow official advisories and avoid unnecessary travel until weather conditions improve.
In a separate incident, Jammu Police and the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) launched a rescue operation to evacuate several youngsters stranded in the middle of the Tawi River after a sudden rise in the water level.
Chief Minister Omar Abdullah said he had been closely monitoring the evolving situation since early Sunday and remained in constant touch with local representatives and district authorities.
“Since first light this morning, I’ve been closely monitoring the situation arising from the extremely heavy rain in parts of Jammu, especially Rajouri town and surrounding areas. The priority of the administration is to safeguard precious lives,” Abdullah said in a post on X.
Continuous rainfall since Saturday has triggered flash floods and cloudbursts across Rajouri and Poonch districts.
Floodwaters from the Dharhali and Poonch rivers inundated low-lying areas, damaging infrastructure, affecting transport facilities, including the Bela bus stand, and washing away several structures along riverbanks.