U’khand: Pithoragarh villagers cut off as overflowing Dhauli river damages bridges

Dharchula sub-divisional magistrate Divesh Shashni clarified that it was not a cloudburst, but heavy rainfall that led to the situation

Over 100 villagers have been cut off from the rest of Uttarakhand after floods and landslides hit the Dhauli river area in Darma Valley of Pithoragarh district, washing away the village’s only footbridge and trolley bridge.

The flooded Dhauli River in Darma Valley of Pithoragarh district. (HT Photo)

Pithoragarh district magistrate Reena Joshi said villagers of Chal village in Darma got trapped after the overflowing Dhauli river washed away the bridges due to heavy rainfall since Thursday evening.

“But there has been no report of loss of life,” Joshi said.

Dharchula sub-divisional magistrate Divesh Shashni clarified that it was not a cloudburst, but heavy rainfall that led to the situation. “The district administration has sent a team to repair the trolley bridge. It could take a week to get a new one in place.”

According to the villagers, around 100 people live in the area that got cut off.

“There was an iron bridge earlier there. But that was washed away in 2013. After that, the administration constructed a trolley bridge for locals to cross the river,” said Dinesh Chalal, a villager from Chal.

“If the trolley bridge is not set up soon, the villagers will have to travel up to 20 km uphill to cross via another bridge to reach their closest market Dharchula, nearly 60 km away,” said Chalal.

On July 3, an artificial lake was formed at Bona village of Munsiyari in Pithoragarh due to a landslide on the local rivulet, which impeded the flow and water accumulation at the spot. A team of local revenue officials and some home guards were sent to the area to make way for the water to drain out. An embankment wall on Kali river in Baluakot area of the district was also damaged last week due to the force of the river.