Three people have reportedly been killed in rain-related incidents in parts of Jammu, officials told PTI on Saturday, 30 June. Over a dozen houses were also damaged due to the rains in the district.
Meanwhile, intermittent rains continued in Kashmir on Saturday, 30 June, with authorities sounding a flood alert in central Kashmir, even as water levels started receding in the southern parts of the valley.
The authorities had on Friday, 29 June, issued a flood alert in south Kashmir. On Saturday, they issued a flood alert for low-lying areas of central Kashmir, including Srinagar, and asked the people to be alert and prepared for evacuation.
Water levels rise in the Jhelum river.
(Photo: Twitter/@Daniyalbr)
Schools across the Valley were closed Saturday in view of the inclement weather.
"The gauge at Ram Munshi Bagh crossed the flood declaration of 18 feet and was flowing at 20.87 feet at 10 am," an official of the Irrigation and Flood Control Department said.
He said the people living in areas along the embankments of Jhelum river and other streams and in low-lying areas of central Kashmir were advised to remain vigilant.
"The staff deputed on flood duty in central Kashmir is directed to report to their sectors and beats," the official added.
Deputy Commissioner Srinagar, Syed Abid Rasheed Shah, said the people living in low-lying areas and embankments of river Jhelum in Srinagar were requested to be alert and prepared for evacuation.
“We have issued a flood alert for low-lying areas of Srinagar,” he said.
In south Kashmir, the flood alert was sounded after the water level crossed the flood declaration level of 21 feet at Sangam in Anantnag district.
While the water level at Sangam at 10 am Saturday morning was 23.06 feet – still above the critical mark – the water had begun receding. At 9 am the water level there was 23.16 feet.
Kashmir Valley experienced heavy rainfall over the past three days and the downpour intensified in many parts, including the summer capital of the state, on Friday.
The rising water levels had Valley residents fearful of a rerun of the 2014 floods that caused widespread devastation and left over 300 dead.
An official of the MET office said the weather was likely to improve on Saturday.
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