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4 dead as torrential rain wreaks havoc in Uttarakhand
The meteorological centre in Dehradun has issued an orange alert for Saturday predicting heavy to very heavy rainfall at isolated places in Dehradun, Tehri, Uttarkashi and Chamoli districts of Uttarakhand
Four people were killed and several others injured in rain-related incidents in Uttarakhand as torrential rain hit parts of the state forcing people to leave their damaged and flooded houses, officials said on Saturday.
Among the worst affected districts were Dehradun, Pauri Garhwal, Tehri Garhwal and Bageshwar, where normal life was thrown out of gear due to overnight heavy rain. Ten people have gone missing so far.
Seven people were stranded under the debris of a house out of which two died in Gwar village of Dhanaulti block in Tehri Garhwal district, said the state disaster response centre.
In Kirti Nagar of Tehri Garhwal district, a woman died after being trapped under the debris of a house.
In Tehri, roads were also blocked due to landslides at various spots, affecting the Char Dham yatra.
A woman died after the wall of a house collapsed in Binak Village in Yamkeshwar block of Pauri Garhwal district.
A landslide was also reported in Bageshwar district.
Dehradun’s Raipur area was struck by a cloudburst on the intervening night of Friday and Saturday amid heavy rainfall in the district, prompting rescue operations by the state disaster response force (SDRF) to shift those stranded to safer locations, officials said.
According to SDRF, the cloudburst was reported in Sarkhet village in Raipur block at 2.45am.
A team of SDRF was immediately rushed to the spot from Sahastradhara post for rescue operations, said Lalita Negi, SDRF media in-charge.
No loss of life was reported, she said.
Muddy water entered the houses of villagers and over 40 affected people were successfully evacuated by the rescue team, she added.
Some people also took shelter in a nearby resort and their team is on its way to rescue them, the official said adding that their teams were engaged at various spots across the district.
Meanwhile, a bridge near Soda-Saroli on the Raipur-Thano road over the Song River that connects 12 villages with the other parts of the district was washed away, following which a car was struck in the gushing water but all five passengers were rescued safely, officials said. Among those recued, a pregnant woman was rushed to the Himalayan Hospital in Dehradun’s Jolly Grant.
Water also entered the caves of Tapkeshwar, a famous Shiva temple on the banks of the Tons River, they added. The contact between Mata Vaishno Devi Cave Yoga Temple and Tapkeshwar Mahadev has been lost due to a damaged pedestrian bridge.
Chief minister Pushkar Singh Dhami inspected the affected areas and instructed the officials to ensure a speedy rescue operation. He ordered officials to ensure food, water, electricity and other arrangements for the affected people.
He said the rain-related incidents caused damage to houses, roads and commercial properties and efforts are on to restore the connectivity. He also urged people to avoid unnecessary travelling.
The chief minister said if required they will also seek assistance from the Army. He said they have put helicopters on alert for disaster-affected areas.
The chief minister said that MLAs are monitoring the situation in their respective constituencies.
Earlier, cabinet minister and Mussoorie MLA Ganesh Joshi also visited the affected areas. Those in need of urgent medical attention were airlifted through a chopper to Max Hospital in Dehradun, said Joshi.
For Saturday, the meteorological centre in Dehradun has issued an orange alert predicting heavy to very heavy rainfall at isolated places in Dehradun, Tehri, Uttarkashi and Chamoli districts.
“On Sunday, heavy rainfall is likely to occur at isolated places in Bageshwar, Chamoli and Pithoragarh districts,” IMD said.
In the last 24 hours, according to the IMD bulletin released at 8.30am, Dehradun received 112.6 mm rainfall against a normal of 15.1 mm, recording a positive departure of 646%. Udham Singh Nagar recorded a rainfall of 111.9 mm.
“Should Uttarakhand simply accept the washing away of bridges as an act of God, a fait accompli and move on. Or it should step back, be critical & genuinely evaluate if there is something that has gone wrong; deciding what can and should be done to ensure minimal damage in the future,” said Anoop Nautiyal, founder of Doon-based NGO, Social Development for Communities Foundation.
