Nearly 80 families relocated after cloudburst triggered floods in J-K's Ramban

Ramban: Nearly 80 families were relocated and are being provided with assistance following the recent cloudburst-triggered flash floods that claimed the lives of three persons in this district of Jammu and Kashmir, a senior government official said on Saturday.

Ramban Deputy Commissioner (DC) Baseer ul Haq Chaudhary said over 80,000 kanals of agricultural land and 544 structures, including schools, also suffered damage in the district due to the natural calamity on April 20.

Chaudhary was briefing a meeting chaired by Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, who reviewed relief and restoration efforts during his third visit to Ramban.  Besides the loss of three precious human lives, the deputy commissioner said over 1,000 livestock also perished, while 11 key locations along the Jammu-Srinagar National Highway were severely affected by multiple landslides triggered by heavy rains in the district.

"A total of 93 vehicles were recovered, and 496 structures sustained damage. Of the 27 Jal Shakti department schemes affected, nine have been partially restored. Approximately 80,498 kanals of agricultural land and 46 schools also suffered damage,” the officer said.

He said the district administration has established control rooms and camp offices near affected sites and set up multiple relocation centres equipped with basic amenities.

Forty-five families from Dharmkund have been relocated to NHPC Colony, and 24 families from Kow Bagh and Pernote have been sent to Maitra Community Hall, the DC informed.

Teams from NDRF, SDRF, Civil volunteers and various NGOs were mobilised for immediate assistance, he said, adding that 26 ambulances were deployed for emergencies, and the ration was distributed among stranded truck drivers.

In addition, adequate manpower and machinery have been deployed for restoration work, he said. Separately, ration supplies were transported on ponies along the Sencha–Bhagna road to ensure delivery to remote households, Chaudhary added.

He also said ex-gratia relief of Rs 1 lakh each has been disbursed to the families of all three deceased individuals from Red Cross funds.

Stressing the importance of long-term rehabilitation, the Chief Minister directed the district administration to identify land for resettling displaced families and to allot five marlas of land to each affected family.

He said the disaster management planning for Jammu and Kashmir will be reoriented to address the climatic changes witnessed in recent years.