River Darhali flows above danger mark in Rajouri, schools closed in Kashmir

The authorities have ordered the closure of all schools in the Kashmir division in view of incessant rainfall in the past few days.
SRINAGAR: With Darhali river in Rajouri flowing above the danger mark due to incessant rainfall in the area, the authorities have alerted the local residents to stay away from the overflowing river.
In view of the incessant rains and unpleasant weather, the authorities have ordered the closure of all schools in the Kashmir division.
”As a precautionary measure, all schools in Kashmir division have been ordered to remain closed on Saturday,” Syed Abid Shah, Srinagar Deputy Commissioner, said.
Similarly, a flood warning has been issued in view of the overflowing Jhelum river as it crossed the critical 21-feet mark at Sangam in south Kashmir’s Anantnag district due to heavy rains over the past two days.
“Due to continuous rains from the past two days, the gauge at Sangam has crossed the flood declaration of 21 feet and was flowing at 21.33 feet at 6 pm,” an official of the Irrigation and Flood Control department said on Friday evening.
The water level in Jhelum at Ram Munshi Bagh in the city was 13.34 feet at 6 pm, over 4.5 feet below the flood declaration level. He said the people living in areas along the embankments of River Jhelum, other streams and in low lying areas were advised to remain vigilant.
“The staff deputed on flood duty in south Kashmir is directed to report to their sectors and beats,” the official added.
Kashmir Valley experienced rainfall over the past couple of days while the downpour intensified in many parts, including the summer capital of the state, on Friday.
A MET department official said that south Kashmir’s Kokernag in Anantnag district received the highest rainfall of 63.4 mm till 8:30 am on Friday morning, while the neighbouring Qazigund received 58.6 mm of rainfall.
Srinagar, the summer capital of Jammu and Kashmir, recorded 12.6 mm rainfall till 8:30 am but the intensity increased after that, the official said.
He said Pahalgam, one of the base camps for the annual Amarnath Yatra, which commenced recently, received 27.8 mm of rains. The rainfall has led to an increase in the water level in streams and rivers across the Valley, especially in south Kashmir.
The water level was sharply rising since the morning as there has been an increase of around one feet with each hour since 9 am. The fast-rising water levels have induced fear among the Valley residents of a re-run of 2014 floods that caused widespread devastation and left over 300 persons dead.