September 2, 2025

Last Tuesday, a fierce cloudburst struck the remote Warwan Valley in Jammu and Kashmir's Kishtwar district, leaving behind a trail of destruction! Around 190 houses were damaged, with about 50 fully destroyed and 130 to 140 suffering severe damage. Sadly, 45 cattle were also buried under the debris. But luckily, there were no human casualties. Kishtwar Deputy Commissioner Pankaj Kumar Sharma rushed to the Marwah-Warwan area to oversee rescue efforts. He promised a month's ration to the affected families and personally handed out relief materials from the Red Cross right on the spot. Sharma urged the revenue department, SDRF, and other teams to speed up clearing debris as a top priority. "Out of 224 houses, around 50 were fully damaged, 130-140 severely damaged, while the rest were partially affected," Sharma said. With Senior Superintendent of Police Naresh Singh by his side, he confirmed that six to seven cloudbursts damaged vital roads and bridges in Marwah and Warwan. Thanks to quick action, road and bridge links were soon restored. Authorities have been asked to quickly assess crop and fruit tree losses to ensure fair compensation for farmers. The public health engineering department is also working hard to fix broken water pipelines so families have safe drinking water again. The deputy commissioner assured the people that a special team will visit soon to plan long-term protections to prevent such disasters in the future. Sharma and SSP Singh stayed overnight in Warwan, even holding a public meeting in Nowapachi to boost community spirits. The cloudburst might have shaken Warwan, but with fast and focused relief work and strong local leadership, this resilient valley is already on the path to recovery!

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Tags: Cloudburst, Warwan valley, Jammu and kashmir, Relief operations, House damage, Cattle loss,