After a disastrous few months in Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand, a major landslide hit the Kishtwar district of Jammu and Kashmir. The Chief Minister of the Union territory has stated that over 60 casualties and more than 100 are injured. The most threatening aspect of the disaster is the fear of more than 500 people still trapped in the debris. As per the report of NDTV, a few officials have even expected this number to be above 1000.
The chief minister addressed the loss of lives after the Independence Day speech on 15th August, as rescue operations began in the valley. Ensuring full support to the victims, he also said that it will be looked into if any official lapses have occurred, as the data on the weather was already known. He has also talked about the situation with the Prime Minister and told him about the efforts taken to rescue the injured. The cloudburst took place in the Chasoti village in Kishtwar.
The authorities have issued helpline numbers for the stranded pilgrims in Gulabgarh Paddar near Chasoti. The numbers are: 9858223125, 6006701934, 9797504078, 8492886895, 8493801381, and the rescue team, including NDRF officials, SDRF officials, local police, and volunteers, is at the site. Chisoti is the last motorable village on the way to the Machail Mata temple. The cloudburst is reported to have taken place on Thursday at 12:25 pm. After the incident, the Machail Yatra, a pilgrimage to the Machail Mata temple, was also suspended. To identify the bodies of the victims, the local authorities have shared pictures through WhatsApp and have successfully identified 30 bodies.
The landslide destroyed the houses, resorts, and everything on its way within a few minutes, changing the place into a pool of debris covered in muddy water. A makeshift market, community kitchen for the pilgrims and security outpost were among the structures destroyed in the floods. More than 16 residential buildings, four water mills and three temples have also been destroyed. Two more villages, including Machail and Hamori, have been affected by the disaster, and several people, including pilgrims, are stranded in the region where power supply has also been cut due to the natural disaster.
Rescue and relief efforts are being done, but the need of the hour is also to understand the topography of the region and take preventive measures, including less construction in fragile regions and reduced tourism.
