English
Arabic
Chinese (Simplified)
Russian
Spanish
Urdu
Heavy rain and flash floods again turned the scenic valleys of Kashmir into disaster areas in 2025. Heavy rains triggered river overflows, landslides, and cut off villages in several districts. Kishtwar was among the worst-affected places, where a cloudburst in the Padder area swept away homes, roads, and sections of the Machail Mata pilgrims’ trail in minutes. The floods killed more than fifty people in Kishtwar district alone, left hundreds injured, and several missing.
Shortly thereafter, a landslide at Vaishno Devi in Reasi covered 34 worshippers, some pilgrims making their way to the holy shrine. In mid-August, huge sections of Jammu faced ruined bridges, shattered roads, flooded temples, and communication shutdowns, reducing the region to a state of emergency. The floods ruined infrastructure and left daily life disrupted, with thousands urgently requiring food, water, and medicine.
The Indian Army retaliated with Operation Sahayak, sending in over 5,000 troops, over 50 helicopters, and engineering units in the hit districts. Trapped civilians were saved by soldiers, rebuilt infrastructure was restored, and vital supplies were distributed. Temporary bridges were constructed over rivers in spate families stranded were evacuated, and food and shelter were provided to people who had lost all their belongings. The image of a soldier carrying a child through floodwaters or sharing his ration pack with a displaced villager became symbolic of the unspoken bond between the Army and the people. The recent natural calamities once again tested this bond, highlighting the Army’s vital role in disaster relief.
In Srinagar, Madras Regiment Army divers supported houseboats with stabilization and rescued more than 500 tourist pilgrims stranded on Dal Lake. South Kashmir Quick Reaction Teams (QRTs) built sandbag embankments in Anantnag and Kulgam to stop flooding. In Pahalgam, combined Army, State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), and local administration teams evacuated people and offered vital medical care, showcasing effective coordination in disaster response.
More than 1.5 lakh individuals were evacuated safely in Jammu and Kashmir, while medical professionals treated around 2,500 emergencies from injuries to deliveries. In the face of heavy rain and gusty winds, timely action prevented large-scale casualties and ensured that critical care was delivered to even the remotest of areas. Army engineers removed the debris, conducted road repairs, and rebuilt bridges, ensuring continuity of vital services.
In Kishtwar, volunteers who were youngsters employed ropes, small boats, and improvised equipment to save neighbors at great personal risk. Villagers led rescue groups through narrow, damaged paths too small to accommodate vehicles. Air Force helicopters airdropped food, water, and medications to the most remote areas as a support to local efforts in an effort at collective disaster relief.
Common people showed uncommon bravery. Dal Lake fishermen helped out rescue personnel, women cooked for victims and rescue personnel, and students worked at relief camps, handing out supplies and attending to children and the elderly. Survivors remembered soldiers’ compassion, reporting how they shared food, helped people to safety, and provided reassurance at times of dire danger. This common humanity instilled solidarity that cut across social and economic lines.
Even though in-patient healing and clinics were still partially intact with constant power interruptions, doctors and nurses provided support. Medical care was being quickly established with staff facilitating care for injured community members, conducting paediatric vaccinations and promoting preventive health behaviours to mitigate waterborne illness. Medical staff often walked long to hard to reach and isolated villages on mud-leaking roads sometimes with soldiers to provide care in a very complex environment.
As telecommunications diminished, volunteers mobilized radios and loudspeakers and planned for community communication to organize rescue operations, locate the missing and provide safety related office. Those who were in Kashmir (but were not currently in the valley) organized funds and donated supplies locally showing how technology and altruism saved lives.
As floodwaters ebbed, reconstruction gained speed. Military engineers and local government teams cleared rubble, restored roads, and rebuilt bridges. Displaced families were provided temporary shelter, schools reopened following cleaning campaigns, and local markets gradually restarted operations. Relief organizations handed out food, clothing, and school materials, helping communities restore normalcy.
The 2025 floods highlighted the value of disaster preparedness. The authorities strengthened embankments, set up early warning systems, and conducted awareness programs in villages and schools. Experts point out that climate change, deforestation, and illegal encroachment along rivers are still on the rise, which raises the threat of floods, and sustainable planning and disaster preparedness are a must. The Army also launched training campaigns with local populations, imparting some basic rescue skills, first aid, and disaster response techniques to enhance grassroots-level resilience.
Even in extensive destruction, the resilience of the Kashmiri people was evident. Soldiers, volunteers from the community, doctors, and commoners joined hands to save lives and infuse hope. The culture of unity and courage was not new; when the devastating floods hit in 2014, the Indian Army had rescued thousands of people, provided food and water, and established relief camps. Just as in 2014, the 2025 floods witnessed the Army emerge as a lifeline, conducting major evacuations, administering medical assistance, and restoring vital infrastructure.
While houses, roads, and public areas were destroyed, the people’s courage, solidarity, and humanity were not broken. The 2025 floods brought to the forefront not just the fury of nature but also the unbreakable spirit of Kashmiris and their rescuers. Soldiers, citizen volunteers, physicians, and ordinary people showed that even in tragedy, kindness, valor, and strength overcome. Unheralded champions of Kashmir both troops and civilians showed that the heart of the valley cannot be submerged, and as a whole, communities can emerge from devastation stronger than before.
yasminahshah457@gmail.com
