Heavy snowfall buries Warwan, Marwa valleys in Jammu and Kashmir 

Anantnag, Feb 28: The remote Warwan and Marwa tehsils of Kishtwar district, already facing isolation due to the closure of their only road connection to Kashmir, have been buried under heavy snowfall, bringing further hardship to residents.

The twin valleys have received four feet of fresh snowfall, forcing people to stay indoors while continuously clearing snow from their rooftops to prevent structural collapses.

Margan Top, a high-altitude pass at 14,000 feet along the Kokernag-Warwan route, was already covered with three feet of snow but has now accumulated an additional seven feet.

With over ten feet of snow blanketing Margan Top, the region remains completely cut off, leaving 40,000 residents to endure a harsh winter with minimal resources and inadequate infrastructure.

"It’s four feet of snow in Warwan and three feet in Marwa," said Rouf Lone, a Marwa resident who migrates to Achabal in Anantnag during winter.

He said that while snowfall was relatively less this winter, frosty conditions had already made travel dangerous before the Kokernag-Margan Top-Warwan road was officially closed.

Some families migrate to Anantnag to escape the severe winter, but the majority remain behind, bracing for months of isolation.

"I visited Anantnag in November to stock up on essentials, medicines, and warm clothes for my family," said Ghulam Qadir, a farmer from Choidraman village in Warwan.

However, with the road impassable until May or June, most residents must endure the freezing months with whatever supplies they have.

Despite the installation of electric poles in 2017, the valleys still lack electricity. Villagers rely on solar power, which proves insufficient during the long, dark winters.

"The absence of electricity, water supply, and proper communication facilities makes life unbearable," said Qadir.

He said that mobile services remain erratic, and residents still book calls through an outdated telephone exchange system reminiscent of the 1980s.

Although water supply systems have been introduced in a few villages, freezing temperatures render the pipes useless, creating a severe water crisis. "Men and women have to trek several miles to fetch water from frozen streams and springs," he said.

During winter, healthcare facilities in Warwan and Marwa are nearly nonexistent. Public Health Centers (PHCs) are often without doctors, leaving patients—especially expecting mothers—at significant risk.

"In emergencies, patients are sometimes airlifted to Kishtwar or Kashmir, but such interventions are rare due to logistical challenges," said Lone.

"Many lives are lost to diseases that could have been easily treated with proper medical facilities."

Muhammad Sultan, a resident of Margi village in Warwan, relocates his family to Mati Gawran in winter to access better healthcare and living conditions. "There are very few medical facilities in our area," he said. "Patients and expecting mothers suffer the most. That’s why we move here for six months and work as laborers to survive."

The 100-kilometer-long Mati Gawran–Margan Top–Warwan road, opened in 2007, remains the sole route connecting the valleys to the Kokernag area of Anantnag district.

However, it remains snowbound for at least six months every year, with over 15 feet of snow accumulating at Margan Top, effectively cutting off the valleys from the rest of the world.

The twin valleys are not connected to the Kishtwar district headquarters, and the Kokernag-Sinthan route also becomes inaccessible during winter.

Even in summer, travel remains perilous due to treacherous road conditions.

As a result, the 40 villages across Warwan and Marwa are left to face months of isolation, relying on limited resources and enduring the harsh winter with minimal external support.