Cloudbursts Create Havoc In Uttarakhand

The dreadful incident of the Uttarakhand cloudburst of 2016 that had destroyed the homes and lives of many has hit back once again. 

As per the information received by the sources on Monday, 5 people have gone missing in Uttarakhand’s Uttarkashi district due to the cloudburst and heavy rains. Studying the overall situation and gauging the danger the climatic conditions can cause, Trivendra Singh Rawat, chief minister of Uttarakhand has directed the Uttarkashi District Magistrate and Disaster Management Secretary to initiate the rescue and evacuation process and provide immediate relief material to those stuck and affected by the cloudburst.

As informed by the media sources, the government of Uttarakhand has assigned the teams of Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP), National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF) to rescue the victims. However, these teams too are finding difficulty in reaching the affected areas due to the heavy downpour. 

On Monday, the sources reported that a total of 10 bodies have been recovered, nine being from the Uttarkashi district alone. Many others are reported missing. 

Uttarkashi Disaster Management Officer Devendra Patwal responded to the media over the phone and said that around eight bodies have been recovered out of which five were recovered from  Makudi and three from Arakot village. Six villages have been affected by the rains from which many people have gone missing. One body was also recovered from rom Sanel village adjoining Arakot and Makudi, informed the State Emergency Operation Centre.

The intensity of the cloudburst in such that it has resulted in devastating many houses and hectares of agricultural land in the six rain-affected villages in Mori block of Uttarkashi. The roads are flooded, trees are uprooted and water has also gushed into the market. Since the time a huge amount of debris collapsed from the mountains on the road, the Gangotri highway has been shut down.

Chardham yatra too has been disrupted due to incessant rainfall. As mentioned in the Indian Express, the Rishikesh-Badrinath National Highway has been blocked at Lambagad and Tangri, Kedarnath highway at Banswada and Jamu Nursery is blocked, the Gangotri National Highway at Harshil, Badeti and Helgugad and Yamunotri Highway at Dabarkot, too are blocked. 

All this has caused the administration to declare a red alert in the areas. As predicted by the weather forecast, these torrential rains are going to continue for another three days.