Possibility of more rainfall in Uttarakhand on July 16,17: IMD

Dehradun (Uttarakhand) [India]: The India Meteorological Department on Sunday predicted more rainfall in Uttarakhand on July 16 and 17.

Speaking to media, Vikram Singh, director, Meteorological Department, Dehradun, said, “There is a possibility of more rainfall in Uttarakhand on July 16 and 17. For today, a red alert has been issued in Dehradun, Tehri, Pauri and Haridwar districts and an orange alert has been issued for the remaining districts.

There will be a slight reduction in rainfall on July 18.” Singh, however, held out hope for the coming days, adding that the rainfall will decrease marginally on July 18.

However, he advised residents to be on alert and take necessary precautions in anticipation of wet weather.

“Although there will be a slight decrease in the rainfall on July 18, there is a strong likelihood of heavy rainfall up until then. So, the residents are well advised to be on alert,” he said.

Heavy rainfall in the state over the last few days resulted in several landslide incidents, blocking roads and highways and disrupting normal life.

On Sunday, a senior official said the Balwakot-Dharchula Road in Dharchula near the border area of the Pithoragarh district was blocked following a landslide.

The Yamunotri Highway number 123 was blocked on Saturday due to falling debris near Chami village in Pauri Tehsil of Garhwal District.

According to officials, dozens of vehicles were stranded on both sides of the road.

Meanwhile, rescue operations by the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) continued in the flood-affected areas of Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Haryana, Uttarakhand, and Delhi, where torrential rainfall and the release of water from barrages have resulted in unprecedented floods, an official statement informed on Friday late evening.

As many as 58 NDRF teams have been deployed in flood-affected states for rescue and relief work in coordination with the state administrations.

Also, 16 teams of the NDRF have been deployed in Delhi while 11 teams each are deployed in Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand and 10 teams each are working in Punjab and Haryana.