Sudden cloudbursts in the Pir Panjal mountains of Indian-administered Kashmir have devastated remote communities, with a resident describing mud, boulders and water crashing down a hillside. The Guardian links the disasters to increasingly erratic weather patterns driven by climate change.
Key facts
- A cloudburst struck the remote mountain village of Murrah in Indian-administered Kashmir before dawn on 19 July, the Guardian reports.
- Resident Haji Mohammad Latief described mud, boulders and water crashing down the hillside minutes after heavy rain.
- The Guardian reports increasingly erratic weather driven by climate change is causing people to lose homes, crops and livestock.
- The affected communities are located in the Pir Panjal mountains.
As rain lashed the Pir Panjal mountains before dawn on 19 July, Haji Mohammad Latief stepped outside his home in Murrah, a remote mountain village in Indian-administered Kashmir, according to the Guardian. His daughter had asked him to move the family’s car to a safer place as the rain intensified.
“I had only just parked it,” Latief recalled to the Guardian. “When I turned around, I saw the water coming.” Minutes later, a cloudburst sent mud, boulders and water crashing down the hillside.
The Guardian reports that increasingly erratic weather patterns, driven by climate change, mean people in the region are losing their homes, crops and livestock. Mountain communities in the Pir Panjal range have been left reeling by the sudden and destructive weather events.
The account from Murrah illustrates how quickly such events can unfold, leaving residents little time to react. The full scale of casualties and losses across the affected communities is not detailed in the available reporting.
Why it matters
Cloudbursts and other extreme weather events are hitting some of the most remote communities, where livelihoods depend directly on homes, crops and livestock. The Guardian ties these increasingly erratic patterns to climate change, underscoring how a warming world is reshaping life in mountain regions.
Frequently asked questions
Where did the cloudburst strike?
The Guardian reports that a cloudburst hit Murrah, a remote mountain village in the Pir Panjal mountains of Indian-administered Kashmir, before dawn on 19 July.
What is being blamed for the disasters?
According to the Guardian, increasingly erratic weather patterns driven by climate change are causing people to lose homes, crops and livestock.
What did residents experience?
Resident Haji Mohammad Latief told the Guardian that after heavy rain, a cloudburst sent mud, boulders and water crashing down the hillside within minutes.