As the monsoon rain has created havoc in several parts of north India, a 450-year-old building collapsed in the Kharyouk area of Leh City in the Union Territory of Ladakh on Sunday evening (July 9). Speaking to the news agency ANI, Haidar, a local, said the building collapsed primarily owing to the incessant rainfall in the region.
He further said the heavy and continuous rain also damaged a few other old houses in the region. According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), Leh recorded 14.5 mm of rainfall on Sunday. "This time it rained a bit longer resulting in damage to the old buildings. Water started to leak into rooms," Haider added. He said that there was a cloud burst in 2010 but the damage was not so much. However, this time a lot of damage has been done to the old buildings.
On Sunday, July 9, Metrological Centre Ladakh predicted that the widespread rainfall and snow are likely to continue over higher reaches of the region.
"IMD issued Red Warning for Ladakh for the next 24 hrs. Snowfall in Summer Peak. Widespread Rain/Snow (over higher reaches) is likely to continue for the next 24 hrs in Ladakh. Stay Alert," it tweeted on Sunday.
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J&K National Highway remains closed
Meanwhile, Jammu and Srinagar National Highway remained closed on Monday after a portion of a road collapsed in Ramban district due to heavy rainfall in Jammu and Kashmir.
Mohammed Jahangir, a local on his way to the area, said roads were being washed away in the downpour in the region and there are no adequate arrangements made by the administration for the visitors.
"We are facing a lot of problems. We have to walk a lot. Recently a road was washed away. We had to walk around 1-2 km in Makarkot and now we have walked another 3-4 km. As we reached Ramban, another road was washed away. There is no arrangement for the public. The administration should stop people from coming to Ramban stretch or else make necessary arrangements for them to proceed further," he told ANI.
On Sunday, July 9, Metrological Centre Ladakh predicted that the widespread rainfall and snow are likely to continue over higher reaches of the region. "IMD issued Red colour Warning for Ladakh for the next 24 hrs. Snowfall in Summer Peak. Widespread Rain/Snow (over higher reaches) is likely to continue for next 24 hrs in Ladakh. Stay Alert," it tweeted on Sunday.
Meanwhile, Jammu and Srinagar National Highway remained closed on Monday after a portion of a road collapsed in Ramban district due to heavy rainfall in the union territory of Jammu and Kashmir.
In addition, a road in the Chabba Seri area at Jammu Srinagar National Highway (NH44) also was washed away on Sunday due to heavy rainfall.
Locals face problems
Mohammed Jahangir, a local on his way to the area, said roads were being washed away in the downpour in the region and there are no adequate arrangements made by the administration for the visitors.
"We are facing a lot of problems. We have to walk a lot. Recently a road was washed away. We had to walk around 1-2 km in Makarkot and now we have walked another 3-4 km. As we reached Ramban, another road was washed away. There is no arrangement for the public. The administration should stop people from coming to Ramban stretch or else make necessary arrangements for them to proceed further," he told ANI.
It should be mentioned here that incessant rains, over the last few days, in various parts of Jammu and Kashmir, have inflicted significant damage on National Highway-44, especially to the stretch in the Ramban district, forcing its closure for traffic.
(With inputs from ANI)
