Uttarakhand: Yamunotri, Badrinath Highway blocked due to falling debris

Uttarkashi (Uttarakhand) [India]: Traffic has been suspended and the Yamunotri pilgrimage halted as boulders continue to fall at many places on the Yamunotri Highway for the last three days as persistent rains continue to wreak havoc in the Uttarkashi district of Uttarakhand, officials said.

District disaster management official of Uttarkashi, Devendra Patwal, said that due to the boulders falling continuously for the last three days, the traffic on both sides of the road has come to a complete standstill. “Significantly, due to this, there has been a break on the Yamunotri pilgrimage, leaving many commuters including pilgrims and locals passenger stranded,” the official said.

“Big boulders fell off from mountains on Monday morning further exacerbating the woes of commuters,” the official said.

According to the Chamoli police, a stretch of 60-70 metres of the Badrinath Highway, Kameda was washed out due to intermittent rains, following that the Highway has been blocked for traffic.

The police added that scores of commuters including tourists and locals were stranded on both sides of the highway.

Uttarkashi District Magistrate (DM) Abhishek Rohila told ANI on Sunday that torrential downpours in the region have caused severe damage to several areas of the Uttarkashi district.

“Due to heavy rain, 50 buildings have been damaged in Purola, Barkot and Dunda of Uttarkashi district. 50 roads are closed in the district. Electricity supply has stopped in about 40 villages and more than 400 drains of agricultural land have been washed away,” said Uttarkashi DM Rohila.

An official said on Sunday that incessant rainfall triggered a landslide near Arakot market and blocked the Arakot-Himachal Pradesh Road in the region.

Officials also said on Sunday that scores of commuters, including tourists as well as locals are stranded in Uttarkashi after the Yamunotri National Highway was blocked at many places today due to falling debris near Gangnani.