Red Alert in Jammu & Kashmir | IMD Warns of Flash Floods, Landslides, NH-44 Closed
By: Javid Amin | 03 Sep 2025
Crisis Deepens: J&K on Red Alert
The Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued a red alert across Jammu & Kashmir, warning of heavy to very heavy rainfall, thunderstorms, flash floods, and landslides over the next 48 hours.
Districts across Jammu Division—including Jammu, Kathua, Udhampur, Reasi, Doda, Samba, Rajouri, Poonch, Kishtwar, Ramban—and parts of Kashmir Valley like Anantnag and Kulgam are bracing for impact.
Authorities have ordered school closures, activated 24/7 control rooms, and issued public advisories urging residents to stay away from rivers, slopes, and unstable structures.
Rivers Rising, Slopes Crumbling
With rivers, streams, and seasonal nallahs swelling, the risk of cloudbursts and mudslides is alarmingly high.
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Flash floods threaten low-lying villages in Reasi and Kathua.
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Landslides are cutting off roads in Ramban, Udhampur, and Doda.
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Evacuation orders have been readied in vulnerable zones.
Infrastructure Under Strain
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The 65-year-old Government Hospital in Gandhinagar, Jammu has been declared unsafe.
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Patients have been shifted to the nearby Maternity & Child Health Hospital.
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Emergency services are stretched, with ambulances struggling through flooded and blocked roads.
Highways Cut Off: NH-44 Closed
The Jammu–Srinagar National Highway (NH-44)—lifeline of Kashmir—is completely suspended:
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Samroli–Banihal sector: continuous mudslides, boulders crashing down.
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Tharad (Udhampur): land sinking reported.
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Ramban & Darda: fresh landslides and road collapse.
🔒 No vehicular movement from Nagrota (Jammu) to Qazigund (Kashmir) in both directions.
Alternate Routes
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Mughal Road: partially open for LMVs & essential HMVs under weather clearance.
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SSG Road (Srinagar–Sonamarg–Gumri): regulated, dependent on BRO clearance.
Commuter Advisory: Avoid travel, carry ID if movement is essential, and check with Traffic Control Units in Jammu, Srinagar, Ramban, Udhampur, Kargil.
August 2025: A Monsoon of Extremes
This August is now one of the wettest in over a century.
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Jammu Region:
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Doda: 488.2 mm (+290%)
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Udhampur: 897.9 mm (+159%)
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Samba: 720.5 mm (+126%)
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Kashmir Valley:
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Anantnag (+35%), Pulwama (+18%), Srinagar (+15%)
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Deficits in Kupwara (-23%), Bandipora (-20%), Ganderbal (-17%)
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Ladakh:
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Kargil: +1,530%
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Leh: +877%
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Overall Ladakh: +930% surplus
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📖 Historical Context: Only five other years (1996, 1908, 2013, 1994, 1955) recorded wetter Augusts, cementing August 2025 as the 6th rainiest in 124 years.
Editorial Closing: Between Water and Rock
Jammu & Kashmir is facing a double-edged crisis:
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A climate-shifted monsoon unleashing extreme rain.
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Fragile Himalayan terrain amplifying destruction.
This red alert is not just a warning—it is a reminder that climate resilience in the Himalayas is no longer optional.
The people of J&K are staring at a monsoon of reckoning, one that will test the strength of their infrastructure, institutions, and collective spirit.
