Jammu, Sep 19 (KNO): The remote village of Chishoti in Kishtwar district is still reeling under the devastation caused by the massive flash floods that struck the hamlet on August 14.
According to the details available with the news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO) what began as another rainy day in the Monsoon turned into the darkest chapter in the village’s history, as a torrent of water, mud, and boulders swept through homes and fields, leaving more than a hundred people dead and dozens of families displaced. Those who managed to survive now find themselves staring into an uncertain and grim future.
The fury of the disaster was such that 38 farmers of Chishoti lost their entire agricultural land. For fourteen of them, the tragedy was even more merciless, their homes were flattened into rubble by the surging waters. Today, these families neither have roofs over their heads nor land to cultivate. They are forced to live under the open sky, counting days with despair. For them, life after the flood is nothing but a long night with no sign of dawn.
According to estimates, nearly 45 kanals of land in Chishoti were washed away. The destruction extended beyond this small village; in the Wadwan area of the Madhwa subdivision, about 350 kanals of land were completely destroyed.
Crops such as maize and potatoes that villagers had painstakingly sown were wiped out in minutes. Even local representative Zafarullah Sheikh, DDC member for Madhwa, admitted that more than 350 kanals of land in Wadwan were lost and said that a detailed report is being compiled to assess the full scale of damage.
In Chishoti, farmers speak of despair that words barely capture. Jamil Singh, who saw both his home and his fields vanish, says, “When both land and house are destroyed in a disaster, life seems to have no purpose. There seems to be no dawn for the darkness that has descended upon our lives after the disaster.”
Another farmer, Thakur Chand, echoes the same hopelessness. “I see no way out. I have no home to live in, and farming was my only source of livelihood. The flood from the mountains has swept away all hopes for our lives,” he said. Like him, many of the affected farmers demand to be resettled in safer areas and provided cultivable land so they can rebuild their lives with dignity.
The administration acknowledges the magnitude of the crisis. Deputy Commissioner of Kishtwar, Pankaj Kumar, told reporters that the district administration has assured compensation for the affected farmers. Teams from the Agriculture and Revenue departments are already on the ground conducting surveys. “Assistance will be provided based on the report once the survey is completed,” Kumar said. However, he added that the question of providing alternate land in exchange for what was lost rests with a central government team whose evaluation is still pending.
For the farmers, however, immediate relief feels like a distant promise. The torrent of August 14 not only washed away their possessions but also shook their faith in the future. Each name on the list of the 38 affected farmers tells a story of despair: Hoshiyaar Singh son of Krishnalal, Wazir Chand son of Bhag Singh, Ram Loki son of Tarachand, Surat Singh son of Tarachand, Gokal Chand son of Tarachand, Hari Singh son of Thakur Chand, Dhyan Singh son of Thakur Chand, Jamil Singh son of Thakur Chand, Arjun Singh son of Thakur Chand, Hari Ram son of Jameet Ram, Surinder Kumar son of Mani Ram, Dhari Singh son of Mani Ram, Des Raj son of Mani Ram, Thaba Devi wife of Om Prakash, Ravi Kant son of Bansi Lal, Jaswant Singh son of Bansi Lal, Maniram son of Harilal, Deva Ram son of Harilal, Kuldeep Singh son of Diwan Singh, Chet Singh son of Diwan Singh, Rajesh Kumar son of Totaram, Om Prakash son of Hansraj, Jaswant Singh son of Hansraj, Sewa Ram son of Harilal, Bharat Singh son of Jyotiram, Radha Krishna son of Jyotiram, Hari Krishna son of Suram Singh, Dev Raj son of Nathra, Tirath Lal son of Ghoparam, Hari Chand son of Tarachand, Kunj Lal son of Tarachand, Jagdeep Singh son of Nathram, Shiv Kumar son of Maniram, Randeep Singh son of Nathram, Sumit Singh son of Bodhraj, Balwant Singh son of Bodhraj, Murli son of Hansraj, and Mela Ram son of Sham Lal.
Each of these farmers once had land to till, homes to return to, and fields full of maize and potatoes. Today, they stand empty-handed. Some sleep under tarpaulins, others in makeshift shelters, all waiting for help to arrive—(KNO)