Warwan, Marwa face lack of amenities as snow severs only road connection

Anantnag, Dec 29: The remote Warwan and Marwa tehsils of Kishtwar district are once again bracing for months of isolation as Margan Top, a high-altitude pass at 14,000 feet, experiences its first heavy snowfall of the season.

With over four feet of snow already blanketing the pass, the twin valleys’ only road connection has been severed, leaving 40,000 souls to endure a harsh winter with inadequate infrastructure and minimal resources.

“It’s two feet of snow in Warwan and 2.5 feet in Marwa,” said Rouf Lone, a resident of Marwa who migrates to Achabal in Anantnag during the winter.

He said while snowfall was light in November and early December, frosty conditions had already made travel risky before the road was officially closed a few days ago.

While some families migrate to Anantnag to escape the severe winter, the majority remain behind, preparing 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.

The road will remain closed until May or June when the snow melts and the pass becomes navigable again.

The absence of basic infrastructure compounds the challenges faced by the residents.

Despite the installation of electric poles in 2017, the valleys still lack electricity, forcing villagers to 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.

“Our mobile service is erratic, and we still book calls through the old telephone exchange system, just like in the 1980s.”

Qadir said even though the water supply has been provided to a few villages but the pipes remain frozen creating a water crisis.

“ Men and women have to tread several miles to fetch water from frozen water bodies,” he said.

Healthcare facilities are nearly nonexistent during winter months.

Public Health Centers (PHCs) in Warwan and Marwa during winters 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 treated with proper medical facilities.”

Muhammad Sultan, a resident of Margi village in Warwan, relocates his family to Mati Gawran during winter to access better 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, is the sole route connecting the valleys to the Kokernag area of Anantnag district.

However, the road remains snowbound for at least six months every year, with over 15 feet of snow accumulation 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, the road is fraught with danger due to treacherous stretches, making travel perilous.

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