A day after the cloudburst was reported near Mukh village, close to Nandprayag Ghat in Chamoli district of Uttarakhand, the situation in the state has worsened with rivers flowing above danger mark and floods reported in various places.
According to reports, Alaknanda river in Rudraprayag has swelled after heavy rainfall, submerging the idol of Lord Shiva, temples and ghats.
Apart from this, the condition in Chamoli is very bad. Due to heavy rains, the roads were swept and the rescue work has delayed.
Speaking with ANI, Chamoli’s DDRF, Dheeraj Aggarwal said, “The condition of roads is very bad; we walked for 8-10 km. Cows were trapped in the cowsheds, and due to the bad conditions, the rescue was done with great difficulty. If it rains now, there is a possibility of heavy damage. There are already cracks in the houses, and if it rains more, then there is great danger.”
While Chamoli’s SDM Raj Kumar Pandey added that houses are covered with debris, cowsheds were damaged, and roads are blocked. Though he stated that there has been no loss of life.
He said, “Due to extreme weather, there was a flood, and because of that, nine houses have been covered with debris, two cowsheds have been damaged, and the houses of five people are in danger. Those people have been shifted, and financial assistance has been provided. The current situation is fine. 2-3 roads are blocked, and JCBs are working to clear out those paths. There is no loss of life or property; a few animals were trapped, but DDRF teams have also rescued them. The administration is doing the mitigation work, and walls are being built for security.”
Cloudburst in Uttarakhand:
Earlier on Tuesday, a cloudburst was reported near Mukh village, close to Nandprayag Ghat in Chamoli district of Uttarakhand.
Due to this, a bridge at Ojri on the national highway leading to Yamunotri in Uttarkashi district was washed away.
To take a stock of the situation, Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami conducted an aerial survey of the disaster-affected Silai Band and Ojri Band stretches along the Yamunotri road in Uttarkashi district on Sunday. The national highway also washed away, disrupting connectivity to the pilgrimage site.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) had issued a red alert for Uttarakhand on Sunday and predicted heavy rainfall for the next four days. It mentioned heavy rainfall was expected in districts including Uttarkashi, Tehri, Bageshwar, Dehradun, and Rudraprayag.
Among other things, the State Emergency Operations Centre (SEOC) in Uttarakhand also issued a high-alert landslide warning for four districts Tehri, Uttarkashi, Rudraprayag, and Chamoli.
In the alert, warning of potential landslides on July 7 and 8 in several subdivisions, including Chamoli, Rudraprayag, Ukhimath, Ghansali, Narendra Nagar, Dhanaulti, Dunda, and Chinyalisaur, was issued.