RAMBAN, Jul 31: A fresh landslide has been reported in the Ramsoo area of Ramban district of Jammu and Kashmir, partially affecting the flow of the Bisleri Nala located along National Highway 44 (NH-44), officials said on Friday.
Ramsoo Sub Divisional Magistrate (SDM), Muzahir Hussain Shah, stated that while the landslide has occurred in the same vicinity, which saw a major landslide last year, the current blockage is not severe enough to warrant an immediate evacuation.
“A landslide has occurred again near our area. A similar major landslide happened last year that had blocked the flow of the Bisleri Nala. Keeping that risk in mind, we shifted residents to the Government School nearby for 15-20 days, where we provided food, water, and other essential arrangements,” Shah said.
The SDM further noted that the administration is maintaining a high state of vigil to prevent any mishap.
“Once the situation improved (last year), people returned. This time, during the monsoon, another landslide has occurred, and the nala flow has been partially affected, but the blockage is not severe enough to require evacuation. We are closely monitoring the situation,” he added.
The offiical had yesterday said, that the critical 132 KV electricity grid supply had been safely restored in Jammu and Kashmir’s Poonch district after 10 consecutive days of disruption caused by severe flash floods and continuous heavy rainfall.
Power supply got affected after heavy rains caused massive damage to the Power Development Department’s (PDD) infrastructure. A major loss occurred between Rajouri and Thanna Mandi, where two or three towers were washed away and disrupted the power supply for the entire Poonch district.
Altaf Ahmad Khan, Incharge Executive Engineer (XEN) of the Power Development Department, said the recent spell of heavy rainfall had caused widespread damage to the department’s infrastructure.
“The recent rains, specifically those on the 19th and the subsequent ones, caused massive damage to the PDD’s infrastructure alongside other assets. A major loss occurred between Rajouri and Thanna Mandi, where two or three towers were washed away; this disrupted the power supply for the entire Poonch district,” Khan said.
He said the department had earlier managed to restore power temporarily to ensure that emergency services continued to function despite the extensive damage to the transmission network.
Khan said PDD personnel worked round the clock to repair the damaged infrastructure and resume electricity supply. However, he noted that the temporary arrangement could not meet the electricity demand of the entire district as the available supply was insufficient to handle the full load.
He said the collapsed transmission towers have now been restored using an Emergency Restoration System (ERS), enabling the district to receive its full power allocation.
Meanwhile, heavy rainfall and a subsequent cloudburst on July 19 triggered massive landslides that severely damaged the Thannamandi-DKG-Bufliaz Road, a key Border Roads Organisation (BRO) project vital for connecting the twin border districts of Rajouri and Poonch with the Kashmir Valley.
The downpour triggered flash floods that washed away several stretches of the newly constructed road, culverts, and heavy trees at multiple locations between Thannamandi and Bufliaz. (Agencies)
