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Heavy rain, landslides put Uttarakhand authorities on high alert, pilgrimage routes affected
Heavy monsoon rain triggered landslides in Uttarakhand, disrupting the Badrinath and Kedarnath yatras and prompting a high alert across districts.
Heavy monsoon rain lashed Uttarakhand on Thursday, triggering landslides, boulder falls and rising river levels that temporarily disrupted the Badrinath and Kedarnath pilgrimages, damaged houses in Chamoli district and put authorities across the state on high alert amid forecasts of more intense rainfall.
The downpour blocked key stretches of the Char Dham Yatra routes in Chamoli and Rudraprayag districts, while swelling rivers and streams prompted heightened monitoring, precautionary evacuations in vulnerable areas and emergency response measures as the IMD warned of continued heavy rain, landslides and flash floods in the coming days.
The Badrinath National Highway was temporarily closed after mud and debris entered several houses at Gulabkoti near Jyotirmath in Chamoli district and spilled onto the highway, disrupting the Char Dham Yatra. Simultaneously, the Kedarnath Yatra was suspended for several hours after boulders and debris blocked the Sonprayag-Munkatiya stretch.
District disaster management officer NK Joshi said four heavy earth-moving machines and three tipper trucks were deployed to remove the accumulated debris, following which the Badrinath highway was reopened for traffic around 4 pm.
In Rudraprayag district, the Kedarnath route between Sonprayag and Munkatiya was blocked after a landslide sent massive boulders crashing onto the road, forcing authorities to suspend both vehicular and pedestrian movement as a precautionary measure.
“Teams from multiple departments, assisted by JCB machines and other heavy equipment, are working on a war footing to clear the debris and reopen the route at the earliest,” district disaster management officer, Rudraprayag, Nandan Singh Rajwar said.
Rajwar said the Alaknanda and Mandakini rivers in Rudraprayag were flowing below the danger mark and the authorities were constantly monitoring them.
With rivers swelling rapidly due to continuous rain, the Rudraprayag district administration placed the district on high alert.
Rudraprayag district magistrate Vishal Mishra said a round-the-clock multi-departmental monitoring mechanism was activated to assess weather conditions, river levels and identify vulnerable locations. “The water levels of all major rivers and seasonal streams are being continuously monitored. High-risk zones are being mapped in real time to issue timely warnings and safety advisories,” Mishra said.
Authorities began evacuating people from vulnerable riverbank areas wherever required and shifted the district disaster operation Centre to a 24x7 operational mode as a precaution.
National highways, the irrigation department and the public works department were directed to maintain constant surveillance over roads, bridges and river channels.
The district administration also issued an advisory asking residents and Char Dham pilgrims to avoid riverbanks, streams and temporary structures near water bodies, and urged people not to pay heed to rumours circulating on social media.
Meanwhile, two separate road accidents within hours of each other left one Border Roads Organisation (BRO) employee missing and three others injured in Uttarkashi district. A motorcycle carrying three BRO employees plunged into a 200-300-metre-deep gorge off the Gangotri National Highway near Bhaironghati while travelling towards Gangotri late on Wednesday night.
District disaster management officer of Uttarkashi Shardul Gusain said two riders suffered minor injuries and were taken to hospital, while 26-year-old Suresh Lama, a resident of Nepal presently residing in Himachal Pradesh, remained missing.
“The SDRF (State Disaster Response Force) suspended the search operation due to darkness and heavy rain but resumed it on Thursday morning. The missing person had not been traced till 4 pm on Thursday,” Gusain said.
In another accident near the Margaon-Ulan motor road in Uttarkashi on Thursday morning, 28-year-old Praveen Nautiyal was injured after his vehicle met with an accident while travelling from Brahmakhal to Tilpad. He was treated at CHC Chinyalisaur and later discharged, while his co-passenger Jasram Mishra escaped unhurt.
In Tehri district, the overflowing Nailchami Gad stream prompted authorities to issue alerts for people living near riverbanks. Officials also said five Public Works Department (PWD) roads and 10 Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY) roads in the district were blocked by debris and boulders, with restoration work underway.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) said Uttarakhand received 29.3 mm of rainfall against a normal of 11.4 mm during the 24-hour period ending at 8.30 am on Thursday, an excess of 157%.
Tehri recorded the highest departure from normal with 54.6 mm rainfall, nearly 600% above normal, followed by Udham Singh Nagar (463%), Chamoli (436%), Dehradun (327%), Haridwar (301%), Uttarkashi (272%), Rudraprayag (185%), Champawat (177%) and Pauri Garhwal (106%).
The IMD has issued an orange alert for Friday for Nainital and Bageshwar districts, forecasting heavy to very heavy rainfall, while a yellow alert has been issued for Dehradun, Tehri, Pauri, Chamoli, Uttarkashi and Rudraprayag districts.
The IMD has warned that thunderstorms accompanied by lightning and intense spells of rain could trigger landslides, flash floods and traffic disruptions across the state’s hill districts. Similar conditions are expected to persist until July 6, with heavy rainfall forecast in several districts, prompting authorities to maintain heightened vigilance throughout the Char Dham region.
