Floods damage infrastructure, crops in south Kashmir

Pulwama, Sep 3: Incessant rains over the past 24 hours swelled rivers and streams in south Kashmir’s Shopian and Pulwama districts, damaging orchards, paddy fields and infrastructure.

The water level in the Rambiara and Romshi streams rose sharply, flooding villages and washing away structures. A bridge at Karachpari in Shopian district was swept away by the swollen Rambiara, cutting connectivity for local residents,  said a group of distraught residents from the area.

Shopian police and the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), aided by local volunteers, carried out a rescue operation along the Rambiara stream. Several nomadic families and around 350 sheep were trapped after a sudden rise in water levels cut off their temporary shelters. “The operation was successful, and all the families and livestock were moved to safety,” a police spokesman said.

In neighbouring  Pulwama, several areas including Gundpora, Banday Bagh, Pahoo and Urbagh were inundated as streams overflowed. Residents in Gusoo village said floodwaters swept away portions of orchards, eroding land and uprooting apple trees. “The fast-flowing water came suddenly and washed away several kanals of land,” a group of farmers said.

Large swathes of paddy fields were also submerged, with farmers reporting significant damage to the  crop. “The entire paddy crop is under water,” said Bashir Ahmad, a farmer from Pahoo.

Growers from Pinglina, Kakapora and Gundipora also reported losses. Soon after the rains, videos circulated on social media showing stretches of apple orchards and paddy fields under water, with trees partially submerged and farmland washed away. Locals sharing the clips said the flooding had caused extensive damage just as the harvest season was beginning.

"We were about to harvest some early varities of apple, but the flood destroyed a large portion of a land", said some farmers from Gusoo village.  In South Kashmir, horticulture economic lifeline, sustaining thousands of families.  "Any damage to it means , a large chunk of population losing their primary source of income", said Gulzar Ahmad, a well-heeled farmer from Shopian.