zad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) is under the grip of unrelenting monsoon rains since early July, causing damage to life and property. Heavy rainfall and floods have left a trail of destruction in the region.

A cloud burst in Dawarian village in Ratti Gali, in the Neelam district, resulted in flash flooding in Dawarian nullah on August 16. This resulted in colossal damages to the area. The flash flood partially damaged four houses, four shops, four vehicles, four motorcycles and four hydropower stations. More than two kilometres of road was washed away at different places. As a result, hundreds of tourists were left stranded.

The situation forced the District Disaster Management Authority (DDMA), the Rescue 1122 Unit, the district administration, the Civil Defence, police, and civil society to initiate a joint rescue operation that lasted till 11pm. The State Disaster Management Authority (SDMA) too dispatched an operations team carrying medicine, food and other necessary items to the affected area. First aid was immediately provided to the injured. More than 250 stranded tourists were shifted to safe guest houses. The road leading towards Ratti Gali remained blocked. In many cases local volunteers reached flood-hit areas before the authorities.

On July 31, in Tahi Khakhriyali village of Hajira subdivision in the Poonch district, the roof of a mud house collapsed, leaving 10 people dead and four injured. Assistant Commissioner Hajira Waleed Anwar says that heavy rainfall over the past few days had made many houses vulnerable. Fourteen people, including seven children, were buried under the debris of the house. The villagers rushed to the scene and recovered seven bodies and the injured from the site. The survivors were taken to a private hospital in Tatta Pani. Ansar Yaqoob, the Poonch divisional commissioner, handed over four million rupees to the grieving family. He also delivered tents, sheets, blankets and food.

A one-year-old girl died on August 22, in the Bandian Dahmal area of Kotli district of Chidhui in a roof collapse. The rest of the family was rescued alive from under the debris. It is feared that similar incidents in remote areas remain unreported. There have been complaints in various areas about the unavailability of rescue equipment. Whenever a calamity hits the AJK, particularly in remote areas, it takes rescue teams considerable time to reach the affected areas. The resulting loss of lives highlights the need for a change in the disaster management approach.

Heavy rainfall in the AJK has also caused the Azad Pattan Road, which connects the Poonch division to the Rawalpindi district, to collapse several times during the ongoing monsoon. Rainfall has also led to landslides in the area. Such incidents lead to closure of the roads, leaving traffic suspended and people stranded for hours. Since this road directly connects the Punjab to the AJK, its closure has caused difficulties in transportation of both people and goods.

Mobile phone networks and internet services have been frequently disrupted in the region. The Special Communication Organisation (SCO) provides internet and telephone services in the areas close to the Line of Control (LoC). Other cellular phone networks are not allowed to run services due to the heavy Indian army presence in the Occupied Jammu and Kashmir. This makes communicating with families or relatives in times of hardship even harder.

The AJK is highly vulnerable to natural disasters. These have a devastating impact on not only the people and communities but also the economy. Persistent rains have adversely affected the economy of the region. The tourism industry has faced a huge blow as people are no longer visiting the Northern Areas on account of the flooding. Razzaq Khan, a hotel owner in Rawalakot, says that he has received fewer tourists this year owing to floods, the unexpected weather and the prolonged monsoon season.

The impacts of these climatic catastrophes affect men and women differently. Amna Bibi, a resident of the Neelum valley, says that she and her two daughters feel insecure with regard to personal safety at emergency shelters. She says it is going to be difficult for them to recover from the aftermath of the floods. Her elder daughter, Zunaira, fears that she won’t be able to attend school for a long time. They says proper medical care is not being ensured. There is also a lack of appropriate sanitation measures.

According to the SDMA and the government of the AJK, 37 people have died, 20 have been injured, 252 houses have been destroyed, 17 shops have been damaged, 762 livestock have perished and 114 houses have been partially damaged over the last two months. Other losses include damage to 52 motorcycles, a primary school, two guest houses, three water mills and five hydropower houses. A grid station has been partially damaged.

Saeed Qureshi, the SDMA director, says that additional resources are required in the current devastation. These include 2,000 tents, 4,000 blankets, 2,000 mattresses, 1,000 kitchen sets, 500 food packages and five dewatering pumps.

With the increasing likelihood of cloud bursts and glacier melting, there is a need to prioritise institutions responsible for disaster prevention, management and rehabilitation for resource allocation and development. It appears that the AJK disaster management authorities and the district-level disaster management authorities lack adequate resources to tackle these gigantic challenges. The civil society and community-based organisations need to be involved in disaster prevention and management efforts and to preempt disasters.

The writer is a freelance contributor based in Rawalakot, AJ&K. She tweets @hunain_mahmood and can be reached at hunainmehmud101@gmail.com