River Tawi
Morning view of river Tawi from Jammu where the river has crossed alert marksocial media

Amid inclement weather and a flash flood alert, authorities on Wednesday ordered the closure of all educational institutions across the Kashmir Valley. Schools in the Jammu division have already remained closed since August 25 due to incessant rainfall.

"In view of inclement weather conditions, all schools and colleges across the Kashmir division shall remain closed today, September 3, as a precautionary measure," stated the Divisional Commissioner, Kashmir, after the Meteorological Department issued an alert for flash floods, particularly in south Kashmir.

Rivers Swell Across Jammu Region

Continuous rainfall in the higher reaches has swollen rivers and streams across the Jammu division. The water level again crossed the flood alert mark in the Tawi, Chenab, Basantar, and Ujh rivers, prompting authorities to use loudspeakers in Jammu city to warn residents on Wednesday.

Water Level Update (Jammu Division)

  1. Tawi at Udhampur: 15.32 ft. (Alert 15.0 ft.)
  2. Tawi at Jammu: 15.0 ft. (Alert 14.0 ft.)
  3. Chenab at Jammu: 43.5 ft. (Evacuation 42.0 ft.)
  4. Suran River: 8.0 ft. (Alert 8.0 ft., Danger 12.0 ft.)
  5. Mendhar Nallah: 2.5 ft. (Alert 2.0 ft., Danger 7.0 ft.)
  6. Poonch River: 7.0 ft. (Alert 10.5 ft.)
  7. Ravi River: Above Alert Level

Authorities confirmed that the Tawi crossed the evacuation mark at Udhampur, while in Jammu city it breached the flood alert level. The Chenab River at Akhnoor also rose above the flood alert mark, nearing the evacuation point. Similarly, the Basantar in Samba and the Ujh in Kathua crossed the danger level.

Solder
Amid heavy downpours, soldiers of the Army repairing damaged bridge on river Tawisocial media

In the Valley, the Sheshnag stream at Pahalgam and the Vishow stream in Kulgam crossed the flood mark, while the Jhelum at Sangam (Anantnag) and Ram Munshi Bagh (Srinagar) remained below the danger threshold. NDRF teams have been deployed at vulnerable spots, including the Tawi Bridge in Jammu.

River Chenab
River Chenab touches danger mark in Akhnoorsocial media

Heavy Rain Forecast

The Meteorological (MeT) Department has forecast widespread heavy rainfall across Jammu and Kashmir on Wednesday.

"A spell of heavy to very heavy rain is expected at many places in Jammu, Kathua, Reasi, Doda, Udhampur, Rajouri, and Ramban during the next 12 hours," the MeT forecast read. It also warned of "moderate to heavy rain or intense showers over the Pir Panjal range and South Kashmir, with a possibility of cloudbursts, flash floods, landslides, and waterlogging at vulnerable locations."

Mother, Daughter Killed in Rajouri

In a tragic incident, a woman and her daughter were killed when a wall of their house collapsed due to heavy rainfall in the Sunderbani area of Rajouri district early Wednesday morning.

The deceased were identified as Sita Devi, wife of Rattan Lal, and her daughter Sonia Rattan Lal, residents of Tanda Kangri, Sunderbani. Rescue teams and police rushed to the spot and recovered the bodies from the debris.

Authorities have urged residents to remain vigilant, warning that continuous rainfall has further increased the risk of structural damage and landslides in hilly areas.

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