Srinagar: Farmers in Kashmir are facing major losses as hundreds of trucks carrying fruit are facing difficulties crossing the Pir Panjal mountains into the Jammu region due to heavy rain and flash flooding which has restricted traffic on the valley’s only all-weather surface route connecting to the country.

Former chief minister Mehbooba Mufti on Tuesday, September 1, urged the Union government to arrange freight trains between Srinagar and Delhi exclusively for transporting hundreds of millions of rupees worth apples and pears, some of which have already begun to rot in local fruit markets and trucks stranded along the Jammu-Srinagar national highway (NH-44).

The horticulture sector is the backbone of Kashmir’s economy generating Rs 20,000 crores annually. Around seven lakh families are dependent on the sector for sustenance, according to J&K’s horticulture department.

With Jammu and Kashmir witnessing record-breaking rains since early August, there are apprehensions that the repeated closure of the highway, which has been badly damaged by landslides, could impact millions of farmers and workers associated with the horticulture sector in the valley.

In a post on X, formerly Twitter, Mufti urged the Union railway minister Ashwini Vaishnaw to “introduce a dedicated train service between the valley and Delhi to mitigate the challenges faced by the growers.” She added, “Such a measure would bring much needed relief to everyone involved in the trade”.

‘Peak Season’ 

September is the peak harvest season for orchardists in Kashmir and nearly 400 trucks containing hybrid varieties of apples and local pears cross the Qazigund tunnel in Pir Panjal mountains into Jammu every day, per an estimate by Kashmir Valley Fruit Growers Cum Dealers Union (KVFGDU), the biggest conglomerate of fruit growers and traders in the valley.

KVFGDU president Basheer Ahmad Basheer told The Wire that the transportation of fruits from Kashmir during the harvest season suffers from weather disruptions in October when perishable fruits like pears would have already reached fruit markets in other parts of the country.

“Rotten pears are reaching the markets now as trucks are getting stranded for several days (on the Srinagar-Jammu highway). Pears are the worst-hit. Many truckers had to discard the fruits even before they reached their destinations,” Basheer said, adding that the ongoing weather had created “unprecedented situation” which has put the livelihoods of thousands of farmers at risk.

“Our farmers will face losses of around Rs 200 crore if the movement of trucks is not streamlined,” said Fayaz Ahmed Malik, president of Sopore Fruit Mandi, Asia’s second largest fruit market after Azadpur Mandi in New Delhi.

He added, “It has been more than seven days since the highway troubles started and this is the situation of just one market. Overall losses will run into hundreds of crores.”

With the harvest season gaining momentum and the meteorological department in Srinagar forecasting improvement in weather in coming days, Basheer said that the government should allow fruit-laden heavy trucks (6/10 tyre type) to use the Mughal Road without restrictions for exiting Kashmir.

Mughal Road is an alternative but narrow road winding over the Pir Panjal mountains which connects Anantnag district in Kashmir with Poonch district of Jammu division.

“As the Srinagar-Jammu national highway is damaged at several places, allowing heavy trucks to use the Mughal Road seems to be the only way to save our farmers,” he said.

Chief minister Omar Abdullah said last week that it will take more than three weeks to complete the repairs of the NH-44 which was hit again by landslides and shooting stones last Wednesday (August 27).

‘Bracing for flood’

Parts of Jammu and Kashmir are bracing for more floods as torrential rains, which has continued for more than 18 hours before abating in the afternoon on Wednesday, killed at least three persons in last 24 hours.

Earlier, Abdullah, who is currently out of Jammu and Kashmir, chaired a meeting to review the preparedness of the government machinery for dealing with emergency situations.

Torrential rains have swollen major rivers and tributaries across the Union territory with Jhelum river crossing the flood declaration mark at three out of five gauges in Kashmir.

Authorities are apprehending further rise in Jhelum river and locals living along the embankments and low lying areas have been asked to stay alert, even as hundreds were evacuated, including from the capital Srinagar and parts of south Kashmir.

There were reports of water from overflowing tributaries entering residential and commercial areas from various parts of Jammu and Kashmir.

In Jammu, the Border Security Force evacuated 45 civilians, including women and children trapped in a flooded village in Akhnoor sector using a helicopter.

Kashmir Weather, an independent weather forecaster, warned that the water level in Jhelum was likely to breach the danger level today and rise further.

‘Disconnected from World’

All the major highways and roads, including the Jammu-Srinagar highway and Mughal Road, which were being used by small fruit trucks to reach their destinations, were closed on Wednesday morning following multiple landslides and shooting stones.

In the winter capital city of Jammu, authorities were seen using loudspeakers in the morning to alert the residents about the possibility of floods.

According to officials, the water level in Tawi, Chenab, Basantar and Ujh rivers in Jammu again crossed the flood alert mark which has prompted evacuation of residents from some low-lying areas.

The city and its peripheries were inundated by flooding last week following which the Union home minister Amit Shah visited the worst hit areas on Sunday.

In Rajouri district, a woman, identified as Sita Devi, and her daughter, Sonia Rattan Lal, died when a wall of their house in Tanda Kangri village of Sunderbani collapsed during the intervening night of September 2 and 3, officials said.

Meanwhile, the body of a driver who was washed away along with his vehicle in a tributary in Bantalab area was recovered last night.

The government has ordered all the educational institutions to remain closed due to the ongoing moderate to heavy rains which have increased the risk of landslides and flash floods in the hilly areas of the union territory.

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