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Uttarakhand rains: Over 300 roads blocked, orange alert for seven districts
The India Meteorological Department has issued an orange alert for seven districts of Uttarakhand and a yellow alert for three on Wednesday
Mussoorie/Haldwani/Rudrapur: Uttarakhand has recorded 273% excess rainfall in the past 24 hours, leaving over 300 roads blocked. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued an orange alert for seven districts and a yellow alert for three on Wednesday.
According to IMD’s Dehradun centre, the state received 38.4 mm rainfall against the normal 10.3 mm till 8.30 am Tuesday. Nainital topped the chart with 80.3 mm of rain-396% above normal-followed by Udham Singh Nagar (65.8 mm, 492% above normal), Pithoragarh (55 mm, 344% above normal) and Almora (53 mm, 813% above normal). Bageshwar too reported a massive 779% excess, while districts such as Champawat, Haridwar, Chamoli, Rudraprayag and Tehri recorded between 119% and 462% more rainfall than average.
The downpour triggered landslides and floods in many areas. In Champawat, National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) teams rescued 16 people and four animals using rafts in Pachpakariya, while the Army and the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) evacuated 20 villagers from Devipura and Gudmi. Families from Sirodi Patti and Roushal villages were shifted to relief camps at government schools.
Sharda river overflowed, forcing authorities to ban vehicular movement on the Sharda barrage at Banbasa in Champawat district near the Indo-Nepal border. In Almora, repeated landslides at Kwarab disrupted traffic on the Haldwani-Almora highway, inflating travel costs for commuters and choking supplies to hill regions.
Champawat district magistrate Manish Kumar said the administration is “working on a war footing” to restore road connectivity and ensure the safety of citizens, livestock and infrastructure.
Continuous rain for 48 hours has thrown life out of gear in Nainital, where 27 routes, including a national highway and three state highways, have been shut. A major accident was narrowly averted when a boulder fell on a car carrying health department employees. “Fortunately, there was no loss of life,” ADM Vivek Roy said.
In Uttarkashi, landslides blocked the Gangotri National Highway near Dabrani, while the Yamunotri highway was cut off at multiple points including Jharjar Gad, Junglechatti and Naradchatti. NH teams are engaged in round-the-clock clearance.
Meanwhile, a video of two elephants being swept away in the Kosi river at Ramnagar went viral on Tuesday. The jumbos were later seen regaining balance and reaching the riverbank safely. “Elephants are strong swimmers, but fast currents mixed with debris can disorient them,” said Dr Dushyant Sharma, senior veterinarian, Corbett Tiger Reserve.
The Char Dham Yatra remains suspended, with Rudraprayag police warning of strict action against operators violating the order. In Chamoli, boulders crashing near Mana village parking have heightened risks for devotees. Officials have urged citizens to avoid unnecessary travel.
IMD has issued an orange alert for Dehradun, Pauri, Uttarkashi, Nainital, Champawat, Udham Singh Nagar and Bageshwar, forecasting heavy rainfall on Wednesday. A yellow alert is in place for Rudraprayag, Chamoli and Pithoragarh.
Amid the crisis triggered by heavy rains and flooding in many parts of Uttarakhand, chief minister Pushkar Singh Dhami visited disaster-affected areas in Laksar, Haridwar district, to take stock of the situation and oversee relief operations. Braving difficult conditions, Dhami travelled on a tractor to reach submerged villages and interacted directly with affected families. He inspected waterlogged areas, damaged roads, broken bridges and houses surrounded by floodwaters, assuring residents that the state government stood firmly with them.
“The government stands with every citizen in this hour of crisis. All possible assistance will be extended, with priority to rescue and relief operations. Every affected family will be supported to the maximum extent,” Dhami said during his visit.
The chief minister directed district administration and disaster management officials to expedite relief and rehabilitation measures without delay. He stressed that negligence in relief work would not be tolerated. He instructed officials to ensure proper arrangements at relief camps, including food, drinking water, medicines and sanitation facilities. “Families in need of relocation should be shifted to safer zones without delay, while the process of assessing crop damage to farmers must be completed swiftly so that compensation can be distributed at the earliest,” he said.
Dhami also asked for mobile health camps to be deployed wherever required.
