SRINAGAR: Jammu and Kashmir has witnessed at least 15 cloudburst incidents in the first 14 days of July, triggering flash floods, mudslides and landslides across several districts and causing widespread damage to infrastructure, agricultural land and residential properties.
The extreme weather events have disrupted road connectivity, damaged public infrastructure and affected normal life in several parts of the Union Territory.
One of the latest incidents occurred in the Bhalesa area of Doda district, where flash floods carrying mud and debris blocked roads and cut off access to several interior villages.
Earlier this month, North Kashmir’s Gurez and Tulail Valley were also hit by multiple cloudbursts, damaging roads, bridges and other public infrastructure.
On July 7, a cloudburst struck the upper reaches of Thathri in Doda district, sending torrents of water and debris into the town. Several vehicles and shops were damaged, while traffic on the Doda-Kishtwar National Highway remained disrupted until restoration work was carried out.
In another major episode, authorities recorded 12 localized cloudburst incidents within a span of nearly 12 hours across parts of the Chenab Valley and adjoining high-altitude areas earlier this month, triggering flash floods and landslides at multiple locations.
On July 11, two cloudbursts were reported in the forest areas of Awoora and Dehwathu in Anantnag district. The sudden surge in the water level of the Overa stream inundated nearby areas, including several hotels in the tourist resort of Pahalgam.
Meteorologists say such extreme weather events are becoming increasingly frequent across the western Himalayan region as rising temperatures allow the atmosphere to retain more moisture, which is then released as intense rainfall over small geographical areas.
“Cloudbursts are highly localized events, but the pattern of intense rainfall over short durations is becoming more frequent in the Himalayan region,” news agency KNO quoted Sonam Lotus, Director of the Meteorological Centre, Ladakh as saying.
Scientific studies have also highlighted the region’s growing vulnerability to cloudbursts and flash floods.
A study published in the International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction, which analysed 68 cloudburst and heavy rainfall events across Jammu and Kashmir, identified the Shri Amarnath Ji basin and Tral in Pulwama district as among the most vulnerable areas. Researchers warned that recurring episodes of extreme rainfall have significantly increased the risk of flash floods, debris flows and landslides in these locations.
Another study focusing on infrastructure vulnerability in the north-western Himalayas found that rainfall of around 40 mm within three hours or 60–140 mm in a day is sufficient to trigger flash floods and slope failures, particularly along critical transport corridors such as the Jammu-Srinagar National Highway.
The researchers stressed the need for improved hazard mapping, enhanced weather monitoring, better land-use planning and robust early warning systems to reduce disaster risks in the fragile Himalayan region.
Meteorological data also indicates that Jammu and Kashmir has experienced a noticeable rise in localized extreme weather events over the past decade, a trend scientists attribute to increasing temperatures, changing atmospheric circulation and shrinking glacier cover, all of which are altering precipitation patterns across the western Himalayas.
Experts believe that strengthening weather forecasting, regulating construction in ecologically sensitive zones and enhancing community-level disaster preparedness will be crucial to mitigating the impact of future cloudbursts and other extreme weather events.
