E-Paper
Inclement weather impacts this year’s Char Dham yatra
Unpredictable weather has disrupted the Char Dham yatra pilgrimage in Uttarakhand, with rain and snow causing road closures and accidents. Three pilgrims from Gujarat were injured when their car fell into a gorge in Tehri district on Monday, while frequent rain and snow triggered a minor avalanche near Badrinath. The India Meteorological Department has forecast further light to moderate rain and thunderstorms across Uttarakhand, with snowfall expected at altitudes above 3,200 metres. District officials have urged caution for those undertaking the pilgrimage.
Unpredictable weather marked by intermittent rain and snow in the higher reaches of Uttarakhand has affected smooth movement at the Char Dham yatra this year, officials and pilgrims said on Monday.
Due to slippery road conditions amid a fresh spell of rain, three pilgrims from Gujarat met with an accident when their car lost control and fell into a gorge near Kirti Nagar in Tehri district while returning from Kedarnath shrine on Monday. Tehri police reached the spot and pulled out all pilgrims and rushed them to Srinagar district hospital, district disaster management officials said in Tehri.
Brijesh Bhatt, district disaster management officer, Tehri, said, “Three people who were pilgrims from Gujarat were injured in the accident when the vehicle they were on board plunged into the 30-metre gorge near Rampur Pulia in Kirti Nagar and were rushed to the government base hospital in Srinagar. The injured have been identified as Kyur Prajapati, Ruchi Prajapati, and Manav Sunil Chavda. Four others on board escaped unhurt.”
Frequent rain and snow also triggered a minor avalanche in the foothills of the Neelkanth peak, reaching right up to the Rishi Ganga river near Badrinath in Chamoli district. Pilgrims had to go through a harrowing experience after the road was blocked due to a fallen boulder and a landslide on the Rishikesh-Badrinath highway near the Bajpur Chada area, Govind Ghat, in Uttarakhand’s Chamoli for six hours on Sunday.
Meanwhile, in Uttarkashi district, a woman from Andhra Pradesh died after being hit by a boulder that fell from the top while she was boarding a vehicle at Kharadi village on her way to Gangotri shrine from Yamunotri on Saturday.
Heavy to moderate spells of rain lashed Uttarkashi, Rudraprayag, Chamoli, Tehri, Pauri and Dehradun districts with brief snow at rgw Kedarnath shrine on Monday.
The India Meteorological Department’s Dehradun centre has sounded an alert and forecast light to moderate rain, and thunderstorms at many places in Uttarakhand. It has also forecast snowfall in areas above 3,200 metres in the next four days.
According to the IMD, the state received 9.9mm of rain, with a departure of 421%, in the 24-hour period between 8.30am Sunday and 8.30am Monday. Uttarkashi, Rudraprayag and Chamoli, where the Char Dham shrines are located, received 8.8mm, 2.9mm and 4.9mm rainfall, respectively
In the wake of the weather alert, district administration officials in Rudraprayag appealed to pilgrims coming for darshan at Kedarnath to move ahead slowly and with extreme caution.
Bikram Singh, director, IMD, Dehradun centre, said, “Western disturbance activity is resulting in more rain in the state, bringing down the temperatures considerably. The spells of rain will reduce but there will be an increase in snowfall, especially in the Char Dham shrine areas including Kedarnath.”
