Cloudburst damages houses, school, mosque in Gujjar Pati G’bal

Srinagar: Several residential houses, a school and a mosque were damaged after a cloudburst hit Gujar Pati Prang in central Kashmir’s Ganderbal district in the wee hours of Saturday.
An official said that following the heavy rainfall in the area, a cloudburst hit Gujar Pati Prang.
In the incident, several residential houses, a government school and a mosque were damaged, he said, adding that SDM and Tehsildar Kangan along with other officials visited the spot to review the situation.
Meanwhile, an official in a statement issued here on Saturday said “Due to recent incessant heavy rains, no major loss has been reported in district Ganderbal except a cloudburst which struck the Gujar-Pati Preng on Saturday at around 3 am and resulted in a heavy discharge of water in the Nallah.”
“According to the preliminary damage report, the water in its route replenished seven houses with mud, suffocated a hydel power canal, impaired one masjid, a lift water project and two primary schools,” the statement said, adding, “In a proactive move, a team under the supervision of Additional Deputy Commissioner Ganderbal, Mehraj-ud-Din Shah including field staff of Revenue Department, Jal Shakti, I&FC Ganderbal, R&B, etc along with machinery is on work for early restoration. Immediate measures were taken to divert the water’s flow, mitigating potential damage.”
Meanwhile, the affected families were shifted to safer locations and Rs 10, 000 per family has been sanctioned from the Red Cross fund as an immediate relief. Besides, essential items including utensils and blankets were also given to them, the official said.
In order to restore the canal, three JCBs are on the job, and the Revenue Department has been directed to prepare the final report regarding damage, he added