SRINAGAR: Jammu and Kashmir has witnessed at least 35 cloudbursts so far this year, leaving 31 people dead and causing extensive damage to homes, roads, bridges and other public infrastructure across the Union Territory.
Official data shows that 22 cloudbursts were reported between June 1 and mid-July. Fresh spells of heavy rainfall during the second half of July and the first week of August triggered several more incidents, taking the total number of reported cloudbursts to over 35.
Most of the fatalities were caused by cloudbursts, flash floods and rain-triggered landslides, with the Jammu division accounting for the highest death toll. The worst-hit districts include Poonch, Rajouri, Kathua, Doda and Kishtwar, while in Kashmir, Shopian and Kupwara have witnessed repeated flash floods in recent weeks.
The latest spell of extreme weather on Monday claimed two lives after multiple cloudbursts struck different parts of the Union Territory, including Kupwara, Shopian, Bandipora and Anantnag, while incessant rain disrupted normal life across both the Kashmir and Jammu divisions.
Officials said recurring cloudbursts have damaged dozens of houses, shops, schools, roads, bridges, irrigation canals and agricultural land this year. Several villages were inundated by flash floods, forcing authorities to evacuate residents and deploy rescue teams.
Chenab Valley worst affected
The Chenab Valley, particularly Doda and Kishtwar, has emerged as the region most vulnerable to cloudbursts and flash floods this year. Disaster management officials said the mountainous terrain, steep slopes and numerous seasonal streams make these districts highly susceptible to such disasters. Upper reaches of Shopian, Kupwara and other hilly areas of Kashmir also remain vulnerable.
The strategic Jammu-Srinagar National Highway has faced repeated disruptions due to landslides, mudslides and shooting stones triggered by heavy rainfall, affecting passenger movement and the supply of essential commodities on several occasions.
Meteorologists describe a cloudburst as an extremely intense and highly localised rainfall event in which more than 100 millimetres of rain falls within an hour over an area of about 20 to 30 square kilometres. Such events often trigger flash floods, debris flows and landslides, leaving little time for evacuation.
According to weather experts, the increasing frequency of cloudbursts in Jammu and Kashmir is linked to the interaction of moisture-laden southwest monsoon winds with western disturbances over the Himalayas.
They said the region’s steep mountain slopes force moisture-rich air to rise rapidly—a process known as orographic lifting—leading to the formation of towering cumulonimbus clouds. These clouds often become trapped within narrow valleys, where they continue to accumulate moisture before collapsing suddenly and releasing enormous volumes of rain over a limited area.
Experts also attribute the phenomenon to growing atmospheric instability. Strong upward air currents keep raindrops suspended inside clouds, allowing large quantities of water to accumulate. Once these updrafts weaken under the increasing weight of the water, the cloud system collapses, resulting in an intense cloudburst.
Experts call for stronger preparedness
Recent assessments by the India Meteorological Department (IMD) and the Geological Survey of India (GSI) have pointed to an increasing trend in mountain hazards and recommended strengthening early warning systems through X-band Doppler weather radars, a denser network of automated weather stations and real-time community alert mechanisms.
The studies also recommend hazard mapping of vulnerable slopes and flood channels, stricter regulation of construction in floodplains and dry riverbeds, controlled urban expansion in ecologically fragile mountain regions, large-scale afforestation and protection of wetlands to minimise the impact of flash floods and landslides. (KNO)
