Two killed, red alert issued for seven districts in Uttarakhand
Seven rivers breached the warning level in the last 24 hours causing flooding in four districts of Uttarakhand
Two people were killed while another was injured in rain related incidents across Uttarakhand in last 24 hours even as the India Meteorological Department (IMD), Dehradun centre on Thursday issued a “red alert” for seven districts with a forecast of heavy rains from 12 to 14 August, officials familiar with the matter said.
The state continued to be battered by the heavy rain and a rise in the water level was reported with over seven rivers breaching the warning level in the last 24 hours causing flooding and water inundation in four districts of the state on Thursday, one of the officials added.
According to the IMD data, the state reported 20.1 mm rain in 24 hours (up to 8.30 am Thursday) with a maximum of 109.6 mm rain in Dehradun followed by 65.3 mm rain in Udham Singh Nagar and 34.2 mm rain in Champawat.
An 84-year-old seer was killed on Thursday while another sustained injuries after a wall collapsed on their temporary shelter them in Rishikesh area of Dehradun district, officials said.
State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) media in-charge Lalita Negi said a wall collapsed over the two sadhus near Laxman Jhula Chaurasi Kutiya in Rishikesh. “Local residents pulled out one of the sadhus, but were unable to rescue the other one. The deceased has been identified as Rajasthan resident Gajanan and the injured as Bihar resident Shri Kedar. He is undergoing treatment at the hospital,” she said.
In Majri Grant area at Doiwala of Dehradun district, a 12-year-old girl drowned after the water from a nearby rain-fed drain broke the sidewalls and entered the house on Wednesday night. Dehradun disaster management officials said the deceased was identified as Akanksha Koli.
Deceased’s father Anand Koli said, “The water inundated the house on Wednesday night. I was able to save my younger daughter. I rushed my elder daughter to a hospital in Rishikesh but she was declared dead.”
In another incident, a house caved in trapping an elderly man Rehmat Ali under the debris in Yamkeshwar block on Wednesday, said the officials. The SDRF team reached the spot to rescue the man. Till the filing of this report, the rescue operation was ongoing.
In Bageshwar district two men identified as Brijbhan Yadav (28) and Anuj Yadav (26), residents of Uttar Pradesh, fell in a gorge near Frog Point in the district when they lost control of their vehicle. Both were rescued by the SDRF team and were rushed to hospital for treatment.
In a related development, five rivers were flowing above the warning level in the state at 8 am on Thursday, according to Central Water Commission data, including Ganga river that was flowing at 293. 5 metres above the warning level of 293 metres at Haridwar. The water level of Ganga in Rishikesh was 339.4 metres close to the warning level of 339.5 metres while Saung river in Haridwar district was flowing at 337.4 metres above warning level of 337.2 metres.
District magistrate Dhiraj Gabriyal has directed the education department officials to shut down all schools from Class 1 to 12 in Haridwar owing to the increased water level in the rivers.
Ban Ganga river breached the warning level of 230 metres and was flowing at 230.35 metres at Raisi in Haridwar at 8 am on Wednesday. Gauri Ganga river was flowing at 987.38 metres above the warning level of 987.25 metres, Kali river in Dharchula, Pithroagarh, was flowing at 889.20 metres with a warning level at 889 metres, according to the data.
Meanwhile, in Rudrapur, Uddham Singh and Kashisipur areas in the Kumaon region over 100 people were stuck when the water entered their houses . They were later rescued by SDRF teams and shifted to safer places.
Due to a surge in water levels of Ganga, two powerhouses run by Uttarakhand Jal Vidyut Nigam Limited (UJVNL) were shut on Thursday.
UJVNL public relation officer Vimal Dabral said, “The Chila and Pathhri hydro powerhouse ,downstream the Pashulok barrage in Rishikesh, were shut down due to surge in Ganga river and to avoid any damage to the machines of the powerhouse.”
Over 241 roads have been blocked across the state, according to public works department data released at 7.30 pm on Thursday.
In Tehri district the road was blocked on the Rishikesh-Srinagargar highway national highway due to landslide near Atali Ganga on Wednesday night. Tehri district disaster management officer Brijesh Bhatt said the work to clear the road has been started. In Chamoli district, the Badrinath highway was also closed due to the surge in the water level and was opened for traffic on Thursday said disaster management officials.
In Rudraprayag district 19 roads were closed while in Uttarkashi seven roads were closed for traffic due to landslides on Thursday, said the officials. Rudraprayag district magistrate Saurabh Gherwar directed the officers deployed on the yatra route to clear the roads at the earliest for the convenience of the pilgrims.
