One year of Dharali tragedy: People struggle to rebuild life, closure eludes many

Satendra Panwar, president of the Dharali Sangharsh Samiti, said the compensation paid to affected families was inadequate

A year after a mudslide struck Dharali village in Uttarakhand’s Uttarkashi district, killing dozens of people and destroying the settlement, survivors say the road to recovery has been marred by inadequate compensation and delays in rehabilitation.

The mudslide struck Dharali on August 5 last year, triggering flash floods that swept through the village. (HT picture)

The mudslide struck Dharali on August 5 last year, triggering flash floods that swept through the village. Four bodies were recovered hours after the disaster; 52 people, including Nepali citizens, remain missing. Of the missing, 19 have been declared dead by the authorities for the dispersal of compensation.

A scientific panel constituted by the Uttarakhand government to ascertain the cause of the tragedy stated in its preliminary report that the Dharali flash floods were not caused by a glacial lake outburst flood (GLOF), but by intense, localised rainfall at high altitude.

The explanation and the compensation, however, have done little to address the residents’ woes.

Jai Bhagwan Panwar, a resident of Dharali, said, “My ancestral house, the new house built above it, everything was washed away. I owned the biggest hotel in Dharali with 40 rooms. That too was swept away. My apple orchard, which earned me around ₹6 lakh every year, was destroyed. I lost property worth crores.”

“We have still not been able to recover. The government had promised rehabilitation and land in exchange for land, but later backed out citing norms. Those whose houses were destroyed received ₹5 lakh. The compensation for hotels was far too low. Someone with four rooms got ₹10 lakh, and I too received the same amount despite losing a 40-room hotel,” he said.

Satendra Panwar, president of the Dharali Sangharsh Samiti, said the compensation paid to affected families was inadequate.

“We have not yet received the full amount for house construction. Compensation for the injured and even for the deceased has not been fully released in all cases. Those whose land was buried have not been given land in exchange. Instead of proper rehabilitation, we are being told to build houses on our remaining agricultural land or apple orchards located in safer areas,” he said.

“We have even been served notices stating that if we do not vacate the buried land, the financial assistance given to us will be recovered. By giving ₹5 lakh as relief, the government has treated it as compensation for our land. This is unfair,” he said.

What the government says

The state government said development and rehabilitation works worth more than ₹16 crore have been carried out in Dharali through various departments. In addition, affected families have received more than ₹17 crore in financial assistance under various relief heads. Overall, the government said more than ₹33 crore has been spent over the past year on development, rehabilitation and financial assistance to support the affected families and restore the disaster-hit area.

According to officials, compensation has been released for 23 deceased persons, including four whose bodies were recovered and 19 who have been officially declared dead from among the missing. Their families have received ₹5 lakh each — ₹4 lakh under State Disaster Response Force norms and ₹1 lakh from the Chief Minister’s Relief Fund.

For housing losses, compensation has been sanctioned for 115 families whose houses were completely destroyed - 113 in Dharali and two in Harsil. Each family received ₹5 lakh ( ₹2 lakh under SDRF and ₹3 lakh from the Chief Minister’s Relief Fund).

Commercial establishments formed another major relief category, officials said. Assistance worth ₹6.94 crore has been released to 86 owners of hotels and shops affected by the disaster. The government said funds for the remaining eligible beneficiaries have already been sanctioned and are being processed. Separately, 29 owners of commercial buildings on government land have received ₹3 lakh each under a livelihood support scheme.

To support displaced families, the government paid six months’ house rent to 115 affected families -113 in Dharali and two in Harsil -at the rate of ₹4,000 per month.

In the agriculture sector, compensation of ₹21.89 lakh has been distributed to 263 beneficiaries for damage to 5.855 hectares of agricultural and horticultural land across Dharali, Harsil, Mukhwa and Bagori. An additional 64 affected farmers from Dharali, Harsil and Mukhwa also received assistance from the Chief Minister’s Relief Fund, officials said.

For long-term rehabilitation, the government has sanctioned ₹5 lakh per affected family. The first instalment of ₹2.325 lakh each has already been released to 21 families, while land identification and verification for the remaining beneficiaries is underway.

Uttarkashi DM Prashant Arya said relief under various heads is being disbursed continuously as per SDRF norms.

“Families whose houses were destroyed were initially given ₹5 lakh as relief and are also eligible for around ₹5 lakh under the rehabilitation policy. Owners of hotels and other commercial establishments have been provided assistance up to ₹10 lakh,” he said.