Parts of Srinagar submerged after heavy rains batter city

The streets of Jammu and Kashmir's capital Srinagar were heavily water-logged on Thursday after intermittent rains lashed the city. Roads were flooded in parts of the city in areas such as Lal Chowk, Rajbagh, Khanyar along with low-lying areas like Bemina and Mehjoor Nagar.

According to Director of Meteorological Department Sonam Lotus, "Srinagar city received 26.4 mm rain on Thursday morning, rainfall was concentrated mostly in central and some areas of North Kashmir."

He said there will be a significant decrease in rainfall, though the weather will generally remain cloudy in Kashmir, partly cloudy in Ladakh and Jammu division.

Meanwhile, authorities on Wednesday announced the suspension of Amarnath Yatra till Sunday in view of inclement weather predicted by the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD).

According to officials, Amarnath Yatra will remain suspended till August 4 as a precautionary measure as the IMD has predicted rains across the state for the next few days, which might trigger landslides.

"IMD has predicted heavy rainfall for next few days all over Jammu and Kashmir, which may cause landslides and shooting stones on highway between Jammu and Srinagar, particularly in the stretch between Ramban and Banihal, which is highly vulnerable to landslides and shooting stone," officials said.

For the next 12 hours, the IMD has predicted light to moderate rainfall on both routes - Pahalgam and Baltal - of Amarnath Yatra.