J-K: Water level of Chenab river increases to 899.3 meters

Deputy Commissioner Harvinder Singh said that apart from the rise of water in the Chenab river, reports of cloud were also received, which lead to washing away of National Highway 244.

He further stated that while three people had been killed due to the rains, 15 residential houses, a cow shed and a private health centre had also been damaged.

"It has been raining continuously for three days. Especially in the areas of the Chenab River. Reports of cloud bursts have come from two places. NH 244 has also been washed away in a cloud burst. Our team is busy restoring that. Three lives have been lost so far. Two of them are in Gandhor and one is in the Thathri subdivision. 15 residential houses have been damaged, and cow sheds have also been damaged. A private health centre has been damaged. Three footbridges have been washed away. The highest flood level of the Chenab River is 900 feet, and currently it has already reached 899.3 metres, so there is a difference of one and a quarter meters," Singh told ANI.

He further stated that movement of people near the river and roads adjacent to the river had also been restricted.

"The way it is raining, we are expecting that the HFL will be breached. We have limited the movement of people near the Chenab River and on the roads adjacent to the Chenab River. People have been shifted and they have been shifted to safe locations," he further added.

Earlier in the day, Union Minister Kiren Rijiju stated that two people met with an accident near Drass in Ladakh after their vehicle fell into a river.

Rijiju shared a post on his official 'X' handle stating that his convoy was on the way to reach Drass during which the incident took place. He said that the two people who were inside the vehicle were safely rescued.

"Before reaching Drass in Ladakh, one vehicle fell into the river just ahead of our convoy. Luckily, we were on time and both persons survived," Rijiju wrote on 'X'. (ANI)