Dehradun (Uttarakhand) [India] : As an intense spell of monsoon rain continued over the northwestern Himalayan region on Saturday and Sunday morning, numerous roads were blocked and several people were stuck due to landslides.
In Uttarakhand, Badrinath National Highway was closed due to a landslide near Chhinka and NH-9 was closed in the Kumaon division at Champawat. In the Tehri district, five out of 11 passengers were rescued after a vehicle rolled downhill in Gular in the district while a search operation for six other passengers was underway.
As per the State Disaster Response Force, the accident occurred on the Srinagar-Badrinath Highway. Badrinath Highway is continuously obstructed due to falling of debris and boulders from the hill near Chhinka. “The highway is obstructed since Sunday morning due to continuous falling of debris from the hill, Badrinath National Highway has again been obstructed near Chhinka,” an official said.
Several parts of the northeast witnessed an intense spell of rain on Saturday. Due to continuous heavy rains, the water level of the Bhagirathi River has increased in Uttarkashi. In Joshiada, part of the wall got damaged due to river erosion. “Instructions have been given to the government departments to be vigilant and people have also been asked to be careful,” the officials said.
The rains also led to waterlogging and traffic jams, roadblocks in hilly areas and several road stretches getting damaged. Meanwhile, waterlogging was seen across Haridwar town, which is currently seeing a heavy rush of kanwariyas coming to fetch Ganga water.
As the Indian Meteorological Department issued a red alert for Sunday, Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami said that all state officials have been asked to remain alert in view of a heavy rainfall alert for the state. “All pilgrims should proceed on their yatra keeping the weather conditions in mind,” the CM told.
The State Disaster Operation Center located in the State Secretariat is keeping an eye on the state in view of the alerts of the Meteorological Department.