Anantnag : The remote Warwan and Marwa tehsils in Jammu and Kashmir’s Kishtwar district have been completely buried under heavy snowfall, exacerbating their existing isolation due to road closures.
The twin valleys received four feet of fresh snow, forcing residents indoors and prompting them to continuously clear rooftops to prevent structural damage. Margan Top, the 14,000-foot-high mountain pass on the Kokernag-Warwan route, saw an additional seven feet of snowfall, bringing the total to over ten feet, rendering the area completely inaccessible.
Months of Isolation and Harsh Winter Conditions
With no road access until May or June, over 40,000 residents are now stranded in extreme winter conditions with limited resources. Some families relocate to Anantnag before the season begins, but many remain behind, struggling to survive.
“I visited Anantnag in November to stock up on essentials, medicines, and warm clothes for my family,” said Ghulam Qadir, a farmer from Warwan.
Despite the installation of electric poles in 2017, the valleys still lack electricity, forcing residents to rely on inadequate solar power systems during the long, dark winter months.
Severe Water Shortage and Communication Crisis
Basic utilities remain scarce, with many villages lacking proper water supply. Freezing temperatures render water pipes useless, forcing residents to walk miles to collect water from frozen streams.
Communication is also unreliable, with mobile services frequently disrupted. Many residents still depend on an outdated telephone exchange system from the 1980s to make calls.
Healthcare in Crisis: No Doctors, Limited Facilities
The lack of medical facilities poses a significant risk, particularly for patients and expecting mothers. Public Health Centers (PHCs) lack doctors, and during emergencies, airlifting patients to Kishtwar or Kashmir is rare due to logistical challenges.
“Many lives are lost to diseases that could have been treated with proper medical facilities,” said Rouf Lone, a resident of Marwa.
The Only Road Remains Snowbound for Half the Year
The 100-kilometer-long Mati Gawran–Margan Top–Warwan road, opened in 2007, is the only route linking these valleys to Kokernag in Anantnag district.
However, it remains snowbound for at least six months, with over 15 feet of snow accumulating at Margan Top. The valleys also lack direct connectivity to the Kishtwar district headquarters, and the Kokernag-Sinthan route becomes impassable during winter.
Even in summer, the road remains hazardous due to treacherous terrain and poor maintenance.
Struggles Continue Amid Harsh Winters
With 40 villages across Warwan and Marwa cut off from the outside world, residents continue to face extreme hardships, relying on limited resources and community resilience to endure the long winter months.
