The traffic on the strategic Srinagar-Ladakh highway was restored in the afternoon after it was cleared off the mudslides and stones triggered due to cloud burst that occurred during the intervening night of Saturday and Sunday in central Kashmir’s Ganderbal district.
The cloudburst in the Kawcherwan Kangan area triggered mudslides that closed the Srinagar-Ladakh highway for vehicular traffic besides causing damage to paddy fields, snapped electricity, and buried several vehicles under the debris.
Some houses were also inundated due to water causing damage to the property.
However, there was no report of any loss of life in the incident, official sources said.
The mudslides and flash floods led to closure of Srinagar-Ladakh highway.
The personnel were pressed into service and the highway was restored for traffic at 3.30 pm.
The said stranded vehicles between Kangan and Sonamarg side were being cleared on priority basis and the commuters were advised to follow lane discipline to avoid any congestion on the highway.
SDM Ganderbal Bilal Mukhtar said, “No matter how much the human remains prepared, it can't compete against nature. I would like to thank the common people who started rescuing even before the police arrived and ensured that no lives were lost... The houses in low-lying areas have been damaged, we are assessing the situation. For now, we have shifted a few people to the houses nearby and if the situation arises we will shift them to plane areas.”
Several villages in the Kangan area have also been severely affected by a series of cloud bursts, causing widespread damage to roads, houses, and crops, the locals said.
They said that the cloud bursts occurred in the villages of Kawcharwan, Cherwa, and Padabal, triggering mudslides that have blocked the Srinagar National Highway besides causing damage to paddy fields, roads, houses, and electricity.
Electric transformers, poles, and wires have also been damaged due to the cloudburst, a senior official of the Power Development Department (PDD) who visited the site told the media.
“It will take two to three days to restore the electricity to the affected village of the district”, the officer said.