Overview

• Punjab is declared disaster-hit, with 30 deaths, 3.55 lakh people affected, 3.75 lakh acres submerged, and all educational institutions shut until September 7.
• Rivers in Jammu division, including the Tawi, Chenab, Basantar and Ujh, crossed alert or flood levels; at least 40 people were stranded near Akhnoor and a mother and daughter died in a house collapse in Rajouri.
• NHAI says full restoration of NH-44 will take months due to major damage at Tharad, including a bridge rebuild expected to take at least six months, as the highway and multiple mountain roads remain closed and more than 2,000 vehicles are stranded.
• Northern Railway curbs compound the disruption, with dozens of trains to and from Jammu and Katra cancelled after flood damage on the Pathankot–Jammu section, as Kashmir reports shortages of essentials.
• A massive landslide in Himachal’s Mandi killed six as IMD red alerts span parts of J&K, Punjab and Himachal; the Sutlej discharge reached 1.64 lakh cusecs in Jalandhar and the Ghaggar touched the danger mark at Khanauri, prompting evacuations and embankment repairs.