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Uttarakhand: Heavy rains damage property, Kempty Falls closed for tourists
In Uttarakhand’s Almora district, a home guard jawan Rakesh Kiroula was swept away by an overflowing stream while riding home early Wednesday morning on his scooter.
Heavy rains lashed parts of Uttarakhand on Wednesday, damaging roads and houses following an orange alert issued by the weather department predicting heavy to very heavy rainfall in at least seven districts of Uttarkashi, Dehradun, Tehri Garhwal, Pauri Garhwal, Nainital, Bageshwar and Pithoragarh.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) in Dehradun had also predicted “extremely heavy rainfall with intense shower spells in parts of Dehradun, Nainital and Champawat districts.”
Continuous heavy rains since Tuesday night damaged a culvert and caused waterlogging in low lying areas of Dehradun, damaging several houses in the capital city.
In Almora district, a home guard jawan Rakesh Kiroula was swept away by an overflowing stream while riding home early Wednesday morning on his scooter. The two-wheeler was later retrieved but Kiroula could not be traced and is suspected to have drowned.
Due to the heavy rains, tourists were also stopped from going to Kempty Falls since the popular waterfall near Mussoorie was overflowing.
“The rain has stopped but the sudden surge in water level with strong current was being experienced continuously from early morning till noon, making it dangerous for tourists to enter the pool for bathing,” Naveen Chand Jural, police station in-charge of Kempty Falls said. He added that the strong current of the fall could also result in boulders falling from the top.
Ramesh Talwar, a tourist from Delhi, said, “We had come to bathe in the fall but the police have banned the entry into the pool considering the risk to lives due to falling boulders”.
Another tourist Sumit Makhia from Noida said, “I am disappointed at not being able to bathe in the pool here at the Kempty Falls but the administration has done the right thing considering the risk due to the surge in the water levels here.”
Tourists are currently permitted only to take pictures and pose for videos right now, said police station in-charge Naveen Chand Jural.
The IMD centre in Dehradun said the state on Wednesday witnessed “moderate rainfall with heavy to very heavy rainfall with active monsoon.”
“The rainfall in the state is above normal in July with excess rain in June. At present we are receiving above normal rainfall which is above 90mm. However, the exact amount of rainfall so far could be revealed after proper analysis,” Bikram Singh, director of IMD Dehradun centre said.
The IMD has predicted heavy to very heavy rainfall again on Thursday in Uttarkashi, Dehradun, Tehri Garhwal, Pauri Garhwal, Nainital, Bageshwar and Pithoragarh districts of the state.
