A month after cloudburst, Margi village still buried in rubble, despair

Margi, Warwan, Sep 26: A month after a cloudburst unleashed flash floods that flattened Margi village in Kishtwar’s Warwan valley, more than 1,000 residents remain trapped in misery, living in tents, battling hunger, and accusing authorities of meagre relief and unfair compensation as their once-thriving village lies buried under mud and boulders.

During a visit to ground zero, this correspondent found the people of Margi struggling to rebuild their lives. While the district administration, along with non-governmental organisations including Ababeel, Tariq Memorial Trust Foundation, and Hilal Healthcare Society Kishtwar, have been supplying relief materials, the destruction is so vast that large-scale assistance is still desperately required.

Survivors, who escaped with nothing but the clothes they wore that night, continue to plead for comprehensive rehabilitation support from both the Union and J&K UT government.

The Flood Took Everything

Eyewitnesses of Margi village recalled the moment disaster struck. On the evening of August 26, a cloudburst on a hilltop above Shelansar Nallah unleashed torrents of water, diverting the Nallah directly into Margi village. “We had no time to save our belongings or cattle. We just ran for our lives,” said one villager, standing beside the ruins of his home.

Dozens of houses were left half-buried in mud, and many others now stand precariously, their walls battered by boulders carried downstream. Out of nearly 250 residential structures, locals estimate that at least 400 families have been affected by the floods.

Many families are now living in makeshift shelters of polythene sheets and tents, waiting for meaningful help. Women, in particular, expressed anguish over the loss of household essentials, food grains, schoolbooks, and clothing. “Our children have not been to school for 30 days. They don’t even have shoes or uniforms left,” lamented one mother.

Village Buried in Rubble

The heart of Margi is unrecognisable. The floodwaters swept away everything in their path, leaving behind piles of debris, felled trees, and large stones deep inside the village. From Jamia Masjid Mohallah to Primary School Lonepora village remains buried so deep that residents believe it could take months of heavy machinery work to clear.

Resettlement elsewhere now appears to be the only practical solution for the devastated Margi, which continues to face the threat of fresh floods from the same Nallah if protective bunds are not constructed soon.

Adding to their woes, villagers allege unfair categorisation of losses by the authorities. In several cases, multiple families living under one roof have been treated as a single unit for compensation purposes. “We are being given just Rs 1.35 lakh per destroyed house, and that too must be divided among three or four families. This isn’t relief—it’s paperwork,” said an elderly resident.

Lawmaker’s Intervention

Local MLA Pyare Lal Sharma has announced support, handing over a cheque of Rs 30 lakh from his Constituency Development Fund to the Sub-Divisional Magistrate, Marwah, for immediate relief. He has also submitted an Rs 33 lakh proposal to the government for debris clearance in Margi.

The Road Ahead

For the people of Margi, these measures fall far short of what is needed. With homes destroyed, fields washed away, and livelihoods shattered, they remain caught between hope and despair. As one villager put it, staring at the ruins , “The flood has turned us into refugees in our own land. Unless the government takes urgent steps, this tragedy will haunt generations.”