Anantnag, Nov 29: In Margi, the largest village in the remote Warwan Valley with more than 500 households, families who survived the devastating cloudbursts in August are bracing for a winter that often brings temperatures plunging to minus 20 degrees Celsius – still without rebuilt homes, cleared debris or a clear plan for reconstruction.
For Abdul Rashid, a 50-year-old labourer, the season ahead is frightening.
He has been living in a tin shed with his wife, three sons and two daughters since flash floods swept through Margi on August 26. His married son, along with his wife and two children, occupies a small partition of the same makeshift shelter.
“We are forced to live in this shed amid this nail-biting cold as we have nowhere else to go,” Rashid said. “Even the debris they promised to remove is still lying around the village. Where would we construct the house?”
He said the family managed to climb to a hillock when flash floods triggered by the cloudbursts roared down from Shilancer Nalla.
By the next morning, their home and the land it stood on had disappeared. His livestock and potato field were gone, too.
“I don’t have any source of livelihood now,” he said, his voice breaking.
Margi, known for its potato fields and labouring workforce, was among the worst-hit villages in the Valley.
Official records show 224 residential structures were damaged in the village: 50 destroyed or washed away, 130 severely damaged and 44 partially affected.
At least 45 cattle died, and shops, watermills and the village’s Jamia Masjid also suffered losses.
But villagers say the numbers do not reflect the scale of human displacement.
“Close to 300 families have been affected in Margi alone,” a resident said. “The administration counts structures, not families.”
Survivors say they received Rs 1.35 lakh per damaged structure even when multiple families lived under the same roof.
Three brothers – Fayaz Ahmad Lone, 42, Ghulam Mohiuddin Lone, 35, and Shabir Ahmad, 28 had to share a single payout for their shared house.
“Shabir has two kids. I have a daughter. Ghulam has two daughters,” Fayaz said. “Two of us are staying with relatives in another village, and Shabir has moved to Anantnag to live in a rented room.”
Muhammad Yousuf Lone, 60, moved to a relative’s home with his four sons and two daughters after his house was severely damaged.
“I lost everything. My daughters even lost their books,” he said.
His eldest son, who is married with two children, is now staying with his in-laws.
Despite being one of the most remote and economically fragile valleys in the region, Warwan residents have been sheltering displaced families for months.
“One family with five rooms gave away two to the victims,” said Maqbool Ahmad, 60, whose own home was badly damaged. “People have opened their homes, but they themselves live in small spaces. How long can they accommodate us?”
Ghulam Hassan Malik, 50, whose home was washed away, now lives with his wife, three daughters and two sons in a neighbour’s house.
“The local trusts helped a lot,” he said, referring to voluntary groups from Kishtwar and Doda, including the Tariq Memorial Charitable Foundation, Ababeel and Hilal Healthcare Society. “They might have even provided reconstruction material by now, but where will we build? The debris hasn’t been cleared.”
Families continue to manually remove several feet of mud from their damaged homes, as machinery has not been provided.
Warwan Valley becomes isolated for months as heavy snowfall closes the only access route via Margan Top. Although the area falls under the Kishtwar district, residents must travel through Kokernag in Anantnag to reach other parts of the region.
Block Development Officer (BDO), Warwan Irshad Waza, confirmed that compensation was issued based on structures, not families.
He said that Rs 30 has been sanctioned for debris removal and “will soon be released so that villagers can reconstruct houses.”
However, he said there is no proposal to provide land at alternative sites.
Back in Margi, Rashid watches snow gathering on nearby peaks.
“The chill has already started,” he said, adjusting a plastic sheet flapping in the icy wind. “I wonder how we will spend the night.
