Torrential rain resulted in the death of a boy, destruction of standing crops and disruption of traffic on highways in the Kashmir Valley on Thursday.
Locals said Burhan Ahmad Malla, 6, a resident of Kupwara’s Khurhama area, slipped into a nullah and drowned due to heavy rain, which started early in the morning.
“Rain also damaged standing crops in several parts the Valley,” an official said.
“A few hours of downpour exposed the hollow claims of flood preparedness in Kashmir. A spell of heavy rain in the morning caused water-logging at many places in the Valley and Srinagar city,” said CPI(M) leader Mohammad Yousuf Tarigami.
Several areas in Srinagar, including Lal Chowk, got inundated due to rain, disrupting movement of traffic.
Meanwhile, large-scale landslides on Srinagar-Ladakh and Shopian-Poonch highways forced closure of traffic on Thursday, an official said.
Scores of vehicles, including those carrying essentials and tourists to Ladakh region, were stranded on both sides of the highways.
Personnel of the Border Roads Organisation were working hard to open the highways, a police officer said.
The rain, however, dropped the day temperature by several notches. According to the Met office, Kashmir will see more rain in the next couple of days.