JAMMU — The Jammu and Kashmir government on Friday said the India Meteorological Department is planning to roll out a hyper-local weather forecasting system for Himalayan states, with special focus on early warnings for cloudburst-induced rainfall.
Replying to a question by National Conference MLA Sajad Shaheen in the Assembly, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah said the National Disaster Management Authority has identified seven districts across Himalayan states for focused intervention, with Ramban and Kishtwar selected from Jammu and Kashmir.
He said past data on cloudbursts, flash floods and landslides spanning the last 15 years has been analysed by the Meteorological Centre Srinagar to assess district-wise vulnerability based on human casualties, infrastructure damage and losses to agriculture, horticulture and livestock.
In the Jammu division, Kishtwar, Doda, Ramban, Reasi and Udhampur have been categorised as high-vulnerability districts, while Rajouri, Poonch and Kathua fall under medium vulnerability. Jammu and Samba have been placed in the low-vulnerability category.
In Kashmir division, Anantnag, Kulgam and Ganderbal are classified as highly vulnerable, Budgam, Shopian and Pulwama as medium, while Srinagar, Baramulla, Kupwara and Bandipora fall in the low-vulnerability category.
Abdullah said the IMD plans to install four additional Doppler weather radars at Doda, Rajouri, Anantnag and Baramulla, besides deploying 26 new automatic weather stations and eight snow gauges in far-flung and hilly areas including Kishtwar, Doda, Ramban, Rajouri, Udhampur, Kupwara, Bandipora, Baramulla and Shopian. These will supplement the existing X-band radars at Srinagar, Jammu and Banihal.
He said the expanded observational network would significantly strengthen early warning systems and disaster preparedness for hydro-meteorological events.
The Public Works Department has also initiated long-term mitigation measures such as slope stabilisation, retaining walls, bio-engineering techniques and disaster-resilient construction to reduce damage to roads and bridges caused by flash floods and cloudbursts.
Abdullah said updated hydrological and geotechnical assessments are being incorporated into project reports, with vulnerable locations being prioritised subject to availability of funds.
He added that following last year’s floods, an inter-ministerial central team visited J&K in September 2025 and a memorandum of losses was submitted to the Ministry of Home Affairs on November 2025. A post-disaster needs assessment was later conducted by National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA).
An expert committee for Hazard, Vulnerability and Risk Assessment (HVRA) has also been constituted to prepare a hazard zonation framework and integrate risk assessment into planning and governance, he said. — (PTI)