E-Paper
Landslide, flood, cloudburst killed 69 in Uttarakhand since June
As per the information from the state Emergency Operations Centre (SEOC), 69 persons have died in Uttarakhand since June 15 in various natural disasters such as landslides, debris falling on people, floods, flash floods and cloudburst.
As per the information from the state Emergency Operations Centre (SEOC), 69 persons have died in Uttarakhand since June 15 in various natural disasters such as landslides, debris falling on people, floods, flash floods and cloudburst.
Many people have been swept away while crossing perennial rivers that remain dry for most parts of the year.
Two persons died in Basani village of Haldwani on the night of September 13 when their bike was swept away in the water flowing on the road in the absence of a bridge.
The incident highlighted the severity of floods and flash floods during monsoons as well as the various disasters in the state. On July 30, a bus overturned into a seasonal river near Chorgaliya that was in spate. Luckily all 28 passengers were rescued.
Piyoosh Rautela, executive director of Disaster Management and Mitigation Centre (DMMC) said that the government machinery was prepared to deal with any adverse circumstance.
“It is unfortunate that people are getting swept away in floods on roads where bridges have not yet been constructed.”
Uttarakhand has faced severe deluge in 2003 where more than 5,000 people died as a lake burst above the mountains in Kedarnath. After this incident, the state formed its own State Disaster Response Force and deployed various rescue teams in districts.
Khajan Pandey, general secretary of state Congress Party, said that with the raging torrent of the rivers, monsoons have rendered the daily commute for teachers and students very difficult, who have to corss the sweeling wiaters through pulleys.
“Although the state government claims that several roads have been built, what about the roads where there are no bridges and people are at the mercy of nature,” he said.
