Devastating Cloudbursts in Kashmir's Mountains Kill at Least 28

Devastating Cloudbursts Strike Remote Kashmiri Villages

In the early hours of July 19, Haji Mohammad Latief woke up to heavy rains in Murrah, a remote village nestled in India-administrated Kashmir. He hurried outside to move his car, only to find himself facing a torrential downpour that quickly turned into a deadly cloudburst.

Within minutes, mud and boulders cascaded down the mountain, sweeping away Latief's home where five generations of his Gujjar family lived together. The 48-year-old managed to escape but was left devastated as his family's belongings were reduced to rubble. By dawn, Murrah was cut off from the outside world, with roads, electricity, and mobile networks destroyed.

Residents of Murrah carried essential supplies across broken bridges, while soldiers and disaster response teams searched for survivors by hand amid the wreckage. The village lies in Poonch district, about 125 miles southwest of Srinagar, Kashmir's main city.

Impact of Erratic Weather on Mountain Communities

Cloudbursts and flash floods have ravaged multiple regions within the western Himalayas this month. In Rajouri, about 30 miles away, the Manawar Tawi River overflowed its banks, destroying roads and vehicles, while in Gurez Valley, residents reported damage to crops and infrastructure.

Scientists attribute these events to rising temperatures and increasingly erratic rainfall patterns due to climate change. This variability poses a significant threat to traditional livelihoods of pastoral communities whose well-being depends on seasonal migrations through the mountains.

Expert Insights and Future Concerns

The International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) warns that frequent bursts of intense rainfall are triggering floods, landslides, and cloudbursts. As glacier melt accelerates, it may increase flood risks while reducing water availability in the coming decades.

Dr. Suheel Rasool Mir, a Kashmir-based sociologist, emphasizes that these weather extremes impact not just physical structures but also the cultural and economic fabric of mountain communities. 'For Gujjar, Bakarwal, and Dard-Shin communities,' he notes, 'these disasters are more than natural hazards; they signify the loss of ancestral knowledge and livelihoods.'

In the wake of these events, residents like Latief in Murrah continue their search for lost family members. 'I just want to find them,' he said, his voice heavy with grief. 'Then we can bury our family together.' The community's resilience is tested as it grapples with the unpredictability of weather and its broader implications.

Source: The Guardian