Cloudbursts and Flash Flooding

Cloudbursts are sudden heavy downpours where a large amount of precipitation falls in a short amount of time. 29 Cloudbursts form when cooler and warmer water vapours interact and form a cloud that leads to heavy downpours. These cloudbursts cause destruction of agriculture and properties, and in extreme cases, may lead to flash floods or trigger landslides.

One villager noted the increase in cloudbursts and their effects on fruit trees:

“The seasons have changed so much over the past few years. During this time of year – in March – it used to be very cold. It used to snow a lot more but now it hasn’t even so much as rained. When the rain comes I know it will be very severe – more so than how it used to be. There are flowers on the branches [of the fruit trees], but they are budding earlier into the year now because it is not as cold. However, when the heavy rain comes they will be completely destroyed. These days, we often get many rain and hail storms that will also destroy these blossoms.”

Several women we interviewed shared their very emotional encounters with cloudbursts and the destruction they bring. Many of the women – especially those who had lost their homes – were in tears when describing the ways in which they have been impacted by these heavy rains. Since the women we interviewed are vulnerable – in a lower socioeconomic bracket – they often lack the financial means to build sturdy homes. Their homes are usually made of mud, with tin roofs that have difficulty bracing the impact of cloudbursts.

“I am living in a mudhouse so my house gets very much impacted by the weather… there are often leaks in the roof and water comes into my home and floods the home.” “During heavy rains, our kids get infections — flu, cough, fever and chills.”

“A few days back there was heavy rain in which the walls of my house completely blew away… we don’t have solid houses and in such extreme weather conditions, our homes can’t stand. This event caused my blood pressure to spike and I’ve had severe anxiety the whole week.”

“I am living in a shelter right now and it’s not stable. We had really heavy rains a few days back and my shelter got totally destroyed. The shelter we live in has a tin roof, so when heavy rains come with their strong winds, my room was completely blown away - it just disappeared. My two year old grandchild, who I am the guardian of, was there sopping wet from the rains. It was horrible. And now the building is completely damaged. I never thought of climate change this deeply before as a concept, but truly climate change is a calamity. I consider climate change a total disaster.”

In addition to cloudbursts, AJK has been known to experience flash flooding as a result of rapidly melting glaciers and increased velocity and volumes of water currents caused by deforestation. As temperatures continue to rise earlier into the year, they accelerate the snow and ice melting of glaciers, which has the potential to cause flooding as well as landslides.

Check dams can be described as a ‘speed breaker’ in so far as they reduce the velocity of water rushing down the mountains and help reduce the water pressure as flows enter villages.

As cloudbursts become more frequent, they cause massive downpours of precipitation in short periods of time, which can lead to flash flooding down the sides of the mountainous regions of AJK. These cloudbursts are especially present during monsoon season, when the highest impacts of flash floods are felt. During these times, water comes rushing down the mountain with a high velocity that can easily wipe out entire villages. The check dams are able to immediately reduce the velocity of the running water and protect the villages from the worst impacts of these flash floods.

Before this check dam was built, four homes and a mosque were destroyed in this area. Now, however, this dam has already survived one flood (2022) and saved 20-25 homes in the process. Islamic Relief has also planted 150 sanatha plants (indigenous to AJK) here as well to anchor the soil.

“I am living in a shelter right now and it’s not stable. We had really heavy rains a few days back and my shelter got totally destroyed. The shelter we live in has a tin roof, so when heavy rains come with their strong winds, my room was completely blown away - it just disappeared. My two year old grandchild, who I am the guardian of, was there sopping wet from the rains. It was horrible. And now the building is completely damaged. I never thought of climate change this deeply before as a concept, but truly climate change is a calamity. I consider climate change a total disaster.”