Uttarakhand: Cloudburst in Uttarkashi village damages houses, roads; schools closed

Uttarkashi (Uttarakhand) [India]: Purola village in Uttarakhand’s Uttarkashi district was badly affected in a cloudburst incident late on Friday night that also damaged several houses and roads.

No casualty or injury to anyone reported so far, officials said. Sub-divisional magistrate, Devanad Sharma told ANI that there is a possibility of heavy damage due to a cloudburst at Chhada Khadd in Purola village.

“Several houses, vehicles and roads were damaged in the cloudburst incident,” he said, adding that they are trying to assess the damages caused and a detailed report will be prepared accordingly.

Uttarkashi district magistrate has also ordered for closure of schools for Saturday following heavy rains in the region.

All major rivers in the region are in spat and roads in many places are also blocked due to falling debris.

A large number of commuters, including tourists as well as locals were stranded in Uttarakhand’s Uttarkashi after the Yamunotri National Highway was blocked at many places on Saturday due to falling debris near Gangnani.

Visuals from the area show vehicles being stuck in debris, leaving commuters stranded for hours.

Uttarkashi district disaster management officials said that due to heavy rains near Gangnani in the Barkot area, there has been a lot of debris and stones on the Yamunotri National Highway.

A team each from the State Disaster Response Force team and the fire brigade was immediately sent to the spot to carry out relief work, they added.

Similarly, Badrinath National Highway near Chamoli district was also blocked in three places due to falling debris as incessant rainfall continued in the region.

“The roadway is blocked due to debris at Nandprayag, Belakuchi, and Pagalnala on the Badrinath National Highway,” Chamoli police said in a tweet on Saturday morning.

In Uttarakhand, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) has predicted heavy to very heavy rains accompanied by thunderstorms and lightning at isolated places over Dehradun, Uttarkashi, Tehri, Pauri and Nainital in the next 24 hours.