Ganderbal, Pahalgam, July 12: A cloudburst in south Kashmir’s Pahalgam and continuous heavy rainfall in Sonamarg triggered flash floods and extensive damage to roads and public infrastructure, disrupting connectivity and leaving tourists stranded at a guest house, even as authorities launched restoration and relief operations.
While no casualties were reported, several houses, orchards and public utilities were damaged in Pahalgam, and a key access road to a tourist accommodation in Sonamarg was washed away following a sudden rise in a mountain stream.
A cloudburst struck the forest areas of Awoora and Dehwathu in Pahalgam late Saturday evening, triggering flash floods that washed away nearly 100 metres of the Bijbehara-Langanbal road and caused damage to houses, orchards and public infrastructure in villages along Nallah Awoora.
Officials said the cloudburst occurred around 8:30 pm, sending a surge of water and debris downstream. As a precaution, all 11 KV power feeders from the Batkoot Receiving Station supplying Awoora, Dehwathu, Laddi and Batkoot villages were shut down, disrupting electricity in the affected areas.
Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM) Pahalgam Amit Gupta said repair work on the damaged road has begun, while the Revenue Department is assessing losses. Teams from the Forest Department, Flood Control, Police, Jal Shakti, Public Works (R&B) and Power Development Department have been deployed to restore essential services and assist affected residents.
Tehsildar Sallar Sajad Parvaiz Khan said four villages along Nallah Awoora were affected and a detailed assessment would determine the extent of damage to residential and commercial structures, agricultural land and crops.
Pahalgam MLA Altaf Ahmad Wani (Kaloo), who visited the affected area on Sunday, said around eight houses had been damaged, along with infrastructure belonging to the Power Development Department, Jal Shakti and R&B. He said orchards, including apple and walnut trees, had also suffered heavy losses.
“We will prepare a detailed report after the revenue assessment to determine the extent of damage to land, crops and trees,” he said, adding that disaster relief funds and Constituency Development Fund (CDF) assistance would be provided to affected families. He said fully damaged houses would receive ₹50,000 and partially damaged houses ₹25,000 under the CDF.
Kaloo said road connectivity was expected to be restored within 24 hours, while water tankers had been arranged to supply drinking water until regular services resume. He also urged residents to follow the Health Department’s advisory to consume only boiled water due to possible contamination following the flash floods.
Later in the day, Deputy Commissioner Anantnag Dr Bilal Mohiuddin Bhat and Senior Superintendent of Police Amod Ashok Nagpure visited the affected villages to review restoration work. Officials directed departments to clear debris, restore power, water and road connectivity on priority, and advised residents to avoid vulnerable areas.
Meanwhile, in central Kashmir’s Sonamarg, continuous rainfall since Saturday night damaged a bridge-cum-culvert and washed away nearly half a kilometre of the access road leading to a tourist guest house in the Lashpathri area, leaving several tourists and their vehicles stranded.
According to officials, the swollen stream turned into a fast-flowing torrent overnight, sweeping away the only road connecting the guest house to the main route. Although the tourists remained safe inside the accommodation, movement to and from the area was completely cut off.
The stranded visitors appealed to the Sonamarg Development Authority to deploy machinery to clear debris and restore connectivity at the earliest.
Officials said restoration work is underway and the damage is being assessed. There were no reports of casualties in the incident.
The back-to-back weather-related incidents come days after flash floods affected parts of Pahalgam, highlighting the increasing vulnerability of Kashmir’s mountainous regions and tourist destinations to extreme weather events.
