As relentless rain continues to lash Uttarakhand's Rudraprayag district, the water levels of the Alaknanda and Mandakini rivers have risen, prompting the administration to remain on high alert and closely monitor the situation amid fears that the rivers could near the danger mark in the coming days.
Following persistent rainfall since Wednesday morning, the water level of the Alaknanda River increased from 622 metres above sea level on Tuesday to 622.5 metres on Wednesday, ANI reported.
Monsoon arrived in Uttarakhand on June 30 and became active across the state by Wednesday, bringing intermittent rainfall to several areas, including Dehradun.
The IMD has also issued orange alerts for five districts-Nainital, Dehradun, Haridwar, Pauri Garhwal and Udham Singh Nagar-where light to moderate rainfall accompanied by thunderstorms has been forecast.
{{/usCountry}}The IMD has also issued orange alerts for five districts-Nainital, Dehradun, Haridwar, Pauri Garhwal and Udham Singh Nagar-where light to moderate rainfall accompanied by thunderstorms has been forecast.
{{/usCountry}}Alerts to be sent on WhatsApp if warning level reached
Officials said river levels are being closely monitored amid rising inflows from the upper Himalayan regions.
Rajwar said the current water level stands at 622 metres above sea level, while the warning level is 626 metres and the danger level is 627 metres.
"The water level in the region has reached 622 meters due to rainfall in the upper Himalayan areas. The warning level is 626 meters above sea level, and the dangerous level is 627 meters. When the water level approaches the warning level, alerts are sent out via WhatsApp groups, announcements are made using vehicles, and personnel go to the ground to warn people," he said.
He added that once the river reaches the warning level, the administration will issue alerts through WhatsApp groups, make public announcements using vehicles and deploy ground teams to warn residents in vulnerable areas.
In view of the evolving situation, the District Disaster Control Room is closely monitoring water levels in both rivers, the report added.
IMD's warnings for Uttarakhand
Meanwhile, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) in Dehradun has issued a heavy rainfall alert for Rudraprayag till July 4, with the district administration urging residents to remain vigilant.
Authorities have advised people to avoid rivers, streams and landslide-prone areas, and appealed to residents to follow official advisories during the period of expected heavy rainfall.
The ongoing downpour has also disrupted transport in parts of the state. Traffic movement has been affected on the Badrinath National Highway in Chamoli district and along the Kedarnath Yatra route in Rudraprayag due to falling debris and stones from hillsides.
Officials said the movement of vehicles and pedestrians on the Sonprayag-Munkatiya road in Rudraprayag has been temporarily suspended as a precautionary measure to ensure the safety of pilgrims.
Amid the evolving monsoon situation, Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami on Thursday reviewed the state-level pre-monsoon mock drill conducted at the State Emergency Operations Centre (SEOC) in Dehradun.
The exercise, held across all 13 districts, was aimed at strengthening preparedness for monsoon-related disasters, improving inter-departmental coordination and assessing the effectiveness of the state's disaster response mechanism.
(Inputs from ANI and PTI)