J&K floods: Intra-circle roaming activated as CM flags communication problems

THe section of Telecommunications ( constellate) on wed excited intra-circle roaming (ICR) in Jammu and jammu and kashmir (J&K)’s flood-hit areas to ensure uninterrupted connectivity, even as chief minister (CM) Omar Abdullah said he was struggling with almost non-existent communication amid a worsening situation.Heavy and continuous rains have caused damage and disrupted normal life in Jammu. The water level of the Jehlum River separately touched the danger level at Sangam in the Valley, prompting Kashmir University to postpone all exams scheduled for Wednesday.In a post on X, Abdullah said efforts were being made to restore phone/data connectivity as soon as possible. “The closure of Jammu airport stopped me & my colleagues from reaching Jammu this [Tuesday] evening. I hope to be able to get there on the first flight tomorrow [Wednesday].”Abdullah said he was closely monitoring the situation and was in touch with the teams on the ground. He added he has not felt so disconnected since the terrible days of the 2014 floods and 2019, when the region was stripped of its semi-autonomous status.“There is a trickle of data flowing on Jio mobile but no fixed line WiFi, no browsing, almost no apps, things like X open frustratingly slowly, WhatsApp struggles with anything more than short text messages,” Abdullah wroteThe DOT said heavy rainfall and multiple landslides in J&K have impacted the telecom services. “To ensure an uninterrupted connectivity, DoT has activated Intra-Circle Roaming (ICR) in the affected areas,” it said in a notification. The activation will remain until September 2.In Kashmir, essential services employees, including those of the Srinagar Municipal Corporation, were directed to report to offices on Tuesday night as water levels were expected to rise in the Jhelum in Srinagar.Floods destroyed infrastructure and left 11 people dead as rain battered Jammu, Punjab, and Himachal Pradesh on Tuesday.The army rescued 22 Central Reserve Police Force personnel and three civilians stranded near Madhopur headworks in Punjab.The India Meteorological Department (IMD) cited Imagery and said it indicates widespread thunderstorm activity across the region. “Severe convection, with heavy rain, thunderstorms, and possible hail...is occurring over Jammu, RS Pura, Samba, Akhnoor, Nagrota, Kot Bhalwal, Bishnah, Vijaypur, Purmandal, and parts of Kathua and Udhampur.”The IMD said moderate convection, indicating light to moderate rainfall, was affecting Reasi, Ramban, Doda, Billawar, Katra, Ramnagar, Hiranagar, Gool, Banihal, and the surrounding areas of Samba and Kathua districts.A landslide on the route to the Vaishno Devi shrine in Jammu killed seven people on Tuesday. Several were feared trapped. Four people died in Doda district.The army and National Disaster Response Force were leading relief operations in J&K and Punjab, even as weather experts warned that the rains would subside but continue all week. People were evacuated along the swollen Tawi, Beas, and Ravi rivers.An interaction between a cyclonic circulation over Haryana and Rajasthan and a western disturbance was pushing rain clouds into the northern states and leading to torrential rain.Suspected cloudbursts have triggered flash floods and mudslides across north India this monsoon, burying villages, destroying bridges, and roads. Flash floods hit Dharali village of Uttarakhand’s Uttarkashi on August 5. Just one person has been confirmed dead so far, and several are still missing.A flash flood in Chishoti village in the Kishtwar district of J&K on August 15 killed at least 65.On Tuesday, Jammu bore the brunt of the rain, receiving over 250mm between 8.30am and 5.30pm. Traffic on the Jammu-Srinagar and Kishtwar-Doda national highways was suspended. Hill roads were blocked or damaged. Many trains to and from Jammu were cancelled.The rising waters of the Chenab threatened the lifeline Pul Doda bridge, linking Doda with the Batote-Kishtwar national highway. Three relief columns of the army were mobilised for relief operations in and around Katra. Authorities in Jammu imposed restrictions on the movement of people at night as a precautionary measure.Parts of Ladakh, including the 18,379-feet-high Khardung La and 17,950-foot-high Changla Top, received the season’s first snowfall, as the rains lowered temperatures to levels well below normal.Heavy rain lashed Himachal Pradesh, triggering mudslides. The northern reaches of Lahaul and Spiti received snow, many weeks before the usual end of September.The gushing waters of the Beas River washed away hotels, houses, and shops in Kullu and cut off the vital Manali-Leh highway. In Punjab, the swollen Beas river inundated low-lying areas in Kapurthala district with water 15-20 feet high, collecting in the paddy fields. The rain pushed water into the state’s crucial dams, sending their levels close to their limits and dangerous thresholds.