DDMA Ganderbal forms committee to assess losses in Kangan cloudburst

Ganderbal, Aug 06: The District Disaster Management Authority (DDMA) Ganderbal has formed a committee of experts and officials of various departments to assess the impact and losses caused by cloudburst in areas of Kangan sub division of Ganderbal district.

The committee will visit these affected areas and submit a comprehensive report to the chairman DDMA Ganderbal regarding losses and measures to be taken.

Deputy Commissioner Ganderbal Shyambir who is also the Chairman DDMA Ganderbal on Tuesday chaired a meeting to review the assessment of losses incurred due to recent cloud bursts and landslides that occurred during the night of August 3 and 4 in Tehsil Kangan and Gund.

Officials said that the meeting also focused on evaluating the damage caused by multiple landslides in the Kullan and Padabal areas of District Ganderbal. Officials from various departments attended the meeting to discuss the extent of the destruction and the imm ediate steps needed for relief and restoration of services, both temporary and permanent.

The DC took a detailed brief from the concerned departments regarding the assessment of damages and directed comprehensive evaluations to ascertain the full extent of the damage to government assets, homes, and agricultural land. He directed the ADC to constitute an assessment committee comprising SDM Kangan, Executive Engineers from PDC and I&FC, the Chief Geologist PDC, and the Officer Commanding 122 RCC BEACON. This committee will visit the affected areas and submit a comprehensive report on the cause, extent of leakage, and possible solutions to ensure the safety of the road and habitation underneath.

The DC also directed officials of the SDRF to ensure immediate compensation measures to the affected families as per SDRF norms. While assessing the restoration progress of affected services, particularly power and water supply, the Executive Engineer KPDCL reported that about 3.3 km of the supply line was completely damaged due to the cloud burst in the areas.

Restoration work is ongoing at a rapid pace, with around 60 percent of the supply restored. The DC urged for the completion of 100 percent power supply restoration at the earliest in the affected areas. Executive Engineer Jal Shakti informed that water supply is being restored on a temporary basis in the affected areas, and an assessment report on the damaged water supply schemes has been submitted. “ Discussions were also held on implementing preventive measures to mitigate the impact of such natural disasters in the future. DC Ganderbal emphasised the need for coordinated efforts among various departments to ensure swift and effective relief operations. He directed the concerned officials to expedite the assessment process and submit detailed reports at the earliest, an official statement said. The meeting was attended by Additional District Development Commissioner, Mushtaq Ahmad Simnani; ADC, Gulzar Ahmad; SDM Kangan, ACD, Executive Engineers of Jal Sakhti, KPDCL, I&FC and R&B Division Kangan, Tehsildar Kangan and Gund, and other concerned officials.