Amit Shah takes stock of rain-inflicted damage in Jammu and Kashmir, promises help

Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Monday (September 1, 2025) reviewed the situation caused by recent rain-induced incidents in Jammu and Kashmir and promised to provide assistance to those affected. He stressed on strengthening the early warning systems to reduce the impact of natural calamities.

Mr. Shah said teams from the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) and the union territory administration should prioritise damage assessment and a meeting of relevant departments would be held soon.

“Advanced survey teams from the MHA would assess the damage, and further assistance would be provided,” Mr. Shah said, after his first-hand survey of destruction caused in Jammu district in the recent rains and flash floods.

Mr. Shah inspected several flood and landslide affected areas of the Jammu division. He met the flood-affected people in Mangu Chak village, Jammu, and inspected the Tawi Bridge at Bikram Chowk, the Shiv Temple, and homes damaged by floods in Jammu.

Over 100 civilians were killed and hundreds of houses were damaged in a series of cloudbursts, landslips and flash floods in Jammu and Kashmir in August, one of the severe natural calamities that hit the union territory after the 2014 deluge. More than 5,000 people have been evacuated to safer places as a precaution.

The Home Minister said 17 teams of the NDRF and 23 Army columns, helicopters from the Indian Air Force, UTDRF, Jammu and Kashmir police and Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs) personnel “were still engaged in the entire operation and helping people”. 

Power supply restored

“Health facilities and food arrangements have been made in relief camps and the situation will return to normal very soon. More than 80% electricity supply has been restored in affected areas. Infrastructure of critical sectors has been affected and its temporary restoration is underway on a war footing,” Mr. Shah said. He also called for proactive focus on restoration of water supply and health services. 

He said ₹209 crore from the State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF) was allocated to the union territory as the Centre’s share, “due to which relief work has started”.

Mr. Shah said the timely warnings by the Central government and the Union Territory Disaster Management Authority (UTDMA) helped in “minimising the loss of lives”. 

“A critical analysis of all Early Warning Apps (EWAs), their accuracy, and their reach to the grassroots level is necessary. Improving our systems through critical analysis is the only way to move toward a zero-casualty approach. There is a need for a critical review of the GLOF Early Warning System,” Mr. Shah said.

Later, the Home Minister chaired a high-level meeting with Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, and senior officers of the Central and union territory governments.

Mr. Abdullah, who thanked Mr. Shah for the visit and sought better coordination, said, “Our priority remains timely relief, rehabilitation and rebuilding lives with resilience”.