Massive cloudbursts in the Ramban district of Jammu and Kashmir on April 20, 2025, caused heavy flash floods and landslides at multiple locations.
Three people, including two children, died in Seri Bagna village located at an elevated location on the outskirts of Ramban town. Another cloudburst took place at Dharamkund village which is located around 20 kilometres (km) from Ramban town. Around 35 residential houses were destroyed, of which 10 have been washed away.
The cloudbursts and subsequent heavy rains around 3 am on April 20 led to the deaths of two children Aquib and Saquib (both brothers) and an elderly man, Muneer Ahmad, after their house collapsed in Seri Bagna. The flash floods caused massive damage to a four to five km stretch on the Jammu-Ramban Road (NH-44). The highway has been damaged at five places which has stranded dozens of passenger vehicles, trucks and oil tankers. Many vehicles have been buried under the landslides that struck from the mountains towards the eastern part of Ramban town.
“NH-44 has been damaged at Trishul Mode, Chamba Seri, Seri, Kela Mode, T2 areas. It was like a massive blast that happened around 3.30 am and by 4.30 am, all the muck and rocks came down from the mountains and blocked the highway. At many locations, the road has been completely washed away. Not only small vehicles but heavy ones like oil tankers and trucks have also been buried under the muck and mud. I have never seen such landslides or flash floods in Ramban area in my entire life,” said Sanjay Kumar, a local resident.
“When the cloudburst took place, passengers were rescued and shifted to safer locations and we asked the truck drivers to leave their vehicles on the highway and save their lives. As many as 100 passengers and drivers were shifted to safer locations between 3.30 am to 5 am. The traffic police are working in coordination with the civil administration and Ramban district police to clear the debris from the highway so that we can take out vehicles safely. We are also coordinating with National Highway Authority of India and project proponents to see to it that the highway is opened soon,” said Danish Rashid of Jammu and Kashmir Traffic Police’s Quick Response Team-QRT Ramban.
A National Disaster Rescue Force team has been deputed on rescue missions in Seri Bagna and Dharamkund villages. Several hotels and shops in Ramban town have also been damaged as a large amount of debris has accumulated. Some locals said unplanned construction work in the town and blockage of some traditional storm water drains led to this massive damage
“Ramban’s population has grown and the town is subsequently expanding. In the last 10 years, there has been large-scale construction work taking place in the town and the adjoining highway as well, with less checks and balances. Urban planning is completely missing. There are no experts posted in Ramban Municipality to guide the local body about sustainable architecture meant for hilly areas. In addition, constant work on NH-44 between Ramsoo to Ramban and Banihal has weakened the mountains which are not made of heavy rocky material. The constant drilling for making tunnels and heavy machinery cutting the mountain edges to create a 4-lane highway has further enfeebled these fragile geological formations and they have now become more prone to landslides and flash floods. This needs to be investigated,” said Badrul Duja, a Srinagar-based environmental lawyer while talking to Down To Earth.