Thathri, July 12: The devastating flash flood that struck Thathri town in Doda district on July 7 has left behind widespread destruction, with an official damage assessment report identifying 42 residential structures and 41 commercial establishments as affected.
The report, prepared by the Tehsildar, Thathri, and submitted to the Sub-Divisional Magistrate for onward transmission to the Deputy Commissioner, Doda, states that the affected residential houses suffered varying degrees of damage, ranging from complete inundation and severe structural damage to partial damage. Several families also lost household belongings and essential items due to the sudden deluge.
According to the official assessment, the affected families include those of Fareed Ahmed, Mohd Shafi, Mohd Hussain, Manzoor Ahmed, Jaffer Ali, Nissar Ahmed, Ghulam Qadir, Khursheed Ahmed, Reyaz Hussain, Mohd Ishaq, Ghulam Mohammad, Saida Begum, Tariq Qazi, Vijay Kumar, Shaukat Ali, Abdul Rehman Sheikh, Mohd Idrees, Reyaz Ahmad, Mohd Ashraf, Rizwan Ali, Singh Manhas, Rinku Singh, Wagar Younis, Tariq Hussain, Mushtaq Ahmed, Shakeela Begum, Ifroz Hussain, Ravi Kumar, Khalid Hussain, Ikhlaq Ahmed, Mohsin Bilal and Madeeha Kousar, besides several other residents whose names are recorded in the official report. The assessment notes that some affected families were also living in rented accommodation.
The flash flood also caused extensive damage to 41 commercial establishments, disrupting the livelihood of dozens of traders. The affected establishments include grocery stores, readymade garment shops, mobile phone outlets, bakeries, hardware and plywood stores, furniture shops, stationery shops, electronic shops, vegetable vendors and a dental clinic.
Among the affected business owners named in the report are Irshad Ahmed, Abrar Hussain, Javed Hussain, Bilal Ahmed, Imtiaz Ali, Zulfkar Ali, Amir Hussain, Nazir Ahmed, Arif Hussain, Rafiq Ahmed, Mehmood Ajmal Khan, Yasir Arafat, Kaushik Kumar, Javed Ahmed and Mausniff, besides several others. Many business establishments were reported to have been fully damaged, severely affected or inundated, resulting in heavy financial losses.
The report further states that the actual number of affected families and damaged properties may increase, as officials could not immediately conduct surveys in higher reaches due to rescue and relief operations following the disaster.
Residents have appealed to the Jammu and Kashmir Government for immediate compensation, rehabilitation assistance, reconstruction support for damaged houses and financial relief for affected traders. They have also sought long-term flood mitigation measures, including proper drainage, stream channelisation and strict monitoring of construction and debris disposal along water channels to minimise the impact of future disasters.
