Floods and landslides triggered by heavy rains have killed at least 30 people in India’s Himalayan region of Jammu and Kashmir, officials and local media said Wednesday.
Torrential monsoon which caused widespread chaos and destruction, saw a major landslide strike a pilgrimage route to the Vaishno Devi shrine, killing at least 30 people and injuring several others.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed his grief over the loss of life, stating that his thoughts were with the bereaved families and that the administration was providing all possible assistance to the affected. The local administration has evacuated thousands of residents to safer grounds and set up relief camps as the region grapples with the ongoing monsoon fury.
Floods and landslides are common during the June-September monsoon season, but experts say climate change, coupled with poorly planned development, is increasing their frequency, severity and impact.
Climate experts from the Himalayan focused International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) warn that a spate of disasters illustrates the dangers when extreme rain combines with mountain slopes weakened by melting permafrost — and building development in flood-prone valleys.
ICIMOD warned in a statement this month that the wider Hindu Kush Himalaya region is suffering “accelerated glacier melt, shifting weather patterns, and an increasing frequency of disaster events” including floods.
The local administration said Wednesday that thousands had been forced to flee in the Jammu region.
Schools have been shut in the area, with the region’s Chief Minister Omar Abdullah saying officials were struggling with “almost nonexistent communication”.
The main Jhelum river in the Kashmir valley has also risen above the danger mark with authorities sounding flood alerts, including for the key city of Srinagar.
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