Landslide on Vaishno Devi route amid heavy rains in Katra; yatra resumes via alternate path
Landslide on Vaishno Devi route: A landslide disrupted the Shree Mata Vaishno Devi Yatra near southern Deori in Jammu due to heavy rainfall, temporarily halting the pilgrimage to the revered shrine. Although the incident caused no injuries, the Yatra has resumed via an alternate route, with Shrine Board officials closely monitoring the situation.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) reported that Jammu and Kashmir received heavy to very heavy rainfall in isolated areas over the past 24 hours. Katra, situated at the base of Trikuta Hill where the Vaishno Devi shrine is located, recorded 13 cm of rainfall, with more expected across the Jammu division until August 16.
In a related event, a cloudburst in the Bandipora district earlier in the day triggered a flash flood, submerging several areas, though no casualties were reported.
The Srinagar Meteorological Centre had issued an advisory predicting light to moderate rainfall across Jammu and Kashmir from August 15, with similar conditions expected to continue until August 16-20. The forecast also includes widespread light to moderate rainfall across Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand, with scattered showers expected in Jammu and Kashmir, Haryana, Chandigarh, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, and Rajasthan over the next four to five days.
Isolated heavy rainfall is also likely over Punjab, Haryana-Chandigarh, and East Rajasthan on August 14 and 15, with similar weather conditions expected in the Jammu division from August 14 to 16. Himachal Pradesh is predicted to experience heavy rainfall from August 14 to 18, while Uttarakhand could see intermittent showers from August 14 to 20. Additionally, isolated very heavy rainfall is expected over East Rajasthan on August 14.