J&K Monsoon Mayhem: Bridge Damaged, Highways Disrupted
Heavy rains damage bridge, flood homes, and disrupt travel in Jammu and Kashmir.
Heavy rainfall lashed large parts of Jammu and Kashmir overnight on August 23–24, 2025, causing widespread disruption, including severe damage to a critical bridge on the Jammu-Pathankot national highway and triggering flood-like conditions in multiple low-lying areas. The winter capital, Jammu, recorded 190.4 mm of rainfall in the 24 hours ending at 8:30 am on August 24, marking the second-highest single-day rainfall for August in a century, surpassed only by 228.6 mm on August 5, 1926.
The deluge led to significant infrastructural and civic challenges. A bridge near Logate Morh on the Jammu-Pathankot highway in Kathua district was damaged due to the overflow of Sahar Khad nallah, forcing authorities to divert traffic through an alternate bridge. While the strategic 250-km Jammu-Srinagar and 434-km Srinagar-Leh national highways remained operational, the Mughal road, connecting Poonch and Rajouri with south Kashmir’s Shopian, and the Sinthan road, linking Kishtwar and Doda with Anantnag, were closed due to landslides. Landslides were also reported in Rajouri, Poonch, and Gurez in north Kashmir.
In Jammu city, the heavy downpour disrupted normal life, with overflowing streams and drains causing inundation of roads and homes in areas such as Janipur, Roop Nagar, Talab Tilloo, Jewel Chowk, New Plot, and Sanjay Nagar. Boundary walls of several residences collapsed, and nearly a dozen vehicles were swept away by flash floods. Water levels in major rivers and streams, including Basantar in Samba, Ujh and Ravi in Kathua, Chenab in Doda, Kishtwar, Ramban, and Jammu, and Tawi in Udhampur and Jammu, rose sharply, prompting authorities to place disaster response teams and local police on high alert.
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The India Meteorological Department has forecasted moderate to intense rainfall, with risks of cloudbursts, flash floods, and landslides in high-altitude areas, until August 27, 2025. Authorities have issued advisories urging residents to avoid water bodies and landslide-prone zones. Other areas in the Jammu region also recorded significant rainfall, with Udhampur at 144.2 mm, Katra at 115 mm, Samba at 109.0 mm, and Kathua at 90.2 mm, while Srinagar, the summer capital, recorded 13.5 mm. No casualties have been reported, but the administration remains vigilant as the region braces for further adverse weather.
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