Amarnath Yatra has been suspended from Pahalgam route due to multiple landslides triggered by heavy rains and bad weather. This comes a day after the yatra was also suspended from the Baltal route because of similar weather conditions. A flood alert has also been sounded after Jhelum river flowed above the critical 21-feet mark at Sangam in south Kashmir's Anantnag district on Friday.
"Due to continuous rains from the past two days, the guage at Sangam has crossed the flood declaration of 21 feet and was flowing at 21.33 feet at 6 pm," an official of the Irrigation and Flood Control department said.
The water level in Jhelum at Ram Munshi Bagh in the city was 13.34 feet at 6 pm, over 4.5 feet below the flood declaration level. He said the people living in areas along the embankments of River Jhelum, other streams and in low lying areas were advised to remain vigilant.
"The staff deputed on flood duty in south Kashmir is directed to report to their sectors and beats," the official added.
Kashmir valley experienced rainfall over the past couple of days while the downpour intensified in many parts, including the summer capital of the state, today.
An official of the MET office said south Kashmir's Kokernag, in Anantnag district, received the highest rainfall of 63.4 mm till 8:30 am this morning, while the neighbouring Qazigund received 58.6 mm of rainfall.
Srinagar – the summer capital of Jammu and Kashmir – recorded 12.6 mm rainfall till 8:30 am but the intensity increased after that, the official said.
He said Pahalgam – one of the base camps for the annual Amarnath Yatra – which commenced yesterday – received 27.8 mm of rains. The rainfall has led to an increase in the water level in streams and rivers across the valley especially in south Kashmir.
The water level was sharply increasing since the morning, as there has been an increase of around one feet with each hour since 9 am. The fast rising water levels has induced fear among the valley residents of a re-run of 2014 floods that caused widespread devastation and left over 300 persons dead.