Panic in J&K's Ramban as several houses develop cracks due to land subsidence

Several houses in the Tanger area of Jammu and Kashmir's Ramban district have developed cracks, reportedly due to land subsidence.

The administration has declared the area unsafe and advised residents to evacuate temporarily.

The local authorities, including Ramban MLA Arjun Singh Raju, Deputy Commissioner and DDC, have assessed the situation and assured residents that the government will provide necessary support, including relocation to safer areas and compensation for damages.

Raju said that the government would make all necessary arrangements, and the residents would be relocated to safer locations.

"There is an atmosphere of panic here. At night, we received phone calls and were informed that the ground was sinking. But in the morning, there were reports of land subsidence up to 1-1.5 feet. Cracks have developed in 20-25 houses. We have inspected the situation. The local residents should not worry. The government will make all necessary arrangements. We will relocate residents to safer locations," the Ramban MLA said.

Notably, in the past few days, heavy rainfall lashed Ramban and several other parts of Jammu and Kashmir, with rivers swelling and flash flood-like conditions reported across multiple districts.

Also, the region is prone to seismic activity, and the Kashmir valley is a high-risk zone for earthquakes. Most of the Kashmir valley falls within Seismic Zone 5, which is considered a very high-risk zone. This zone is characterised by a high potential for strong earthquakes.

Earlier on Thursday, the authorities in the Mendhar sector of Poonch district began relocating families affected by continuous landslides in the Kalaban village, where land sinking has impacted nearly 70 families since last Saturday.

A land drift activity has triggered the massive landslide, because of which more than 25 residential structures were completely damaged.