Chardham Yatra halted due to bad weather in Uttarakhand

The Central Flood Control Room in Dehradun informed that the water level of most of the rivers in the Garhwal and Kumaon divisions, including Haridwar, have touched the danger mark due to continuous heavy rains in the state.

Rudraprayag (Uttarakhand): The Chardham Yatra has been stopped in Uttarakhand due to heavy rains and landslides, officials said on Thursday. The roads and footpaths leading to the Chardham have been covered with debris due to landslides, they said. Uttarakhand DGP Ashok Kumar said that the Chardham Yatra has stopped due to natural obstruction. Pilgrims going to the Char Dham located in three districts Chamoli, Rudraprayag and Uttarkashi have been staying at various places, he said.

The pilgrims of Kedarnath have been stopped at Sonprayag and Gaurikund due to heavy rains, officials said. On Wednesday, a woman was killed and a man was seriously injured after falling into a ditch due to a landslide in Uttarakhand. Meanwhile, due to heavy rains, the water level of the Kali river in Pithoragarh has reached above the danger mark.

Amid heavy rains in Uttarakhand, the India Meteorological Department issued a yellow alert for July 13. “Light to moderate rain has occurred at most places. Today also rains are likely in the state. Heavy rains may occur in Nainital, Dehradun, Pauri Garhwal and Haridwar. A yellow alert has been issued in the state. Light to moderate rain likely tomorrow also,” said Bikram Singh, Director of Meteorological Department, Dehradun.

Central Flood Control Room in Dehradun informed that the water level of most of the rivers in the Garhwal and Kumaon divisions, including Haridwar, have touched the danger mark due to continuous heavy rains in the state. Furthermore, they added that the water level in dams and reservoirs has reached almost close to the danger mark.

Meanwhile, Municipal Commissioner Manuj Goyal carried out an inspection to overview the situation of the flood-affected residential areas, including Buddha Chowk, Darshan Lal Chowk, Doon Hospital, Parade Ground, Kanak Chowk and Rajpur Road. During the inspection, the Municipal Commissioner called PWD, Irrigation Department and Smart City officials to the spot and instructed them for relief and rescue operations.

Municipal Commissioner Manuj Goyal said that a Disaster Control Room has been set up in the Municipal Corporation. He further said that eight quick response teams have been formed by the Municipal Corporation to redress waterlogging. The Municipal Commissioner said that the complaints received from residential areas due to waterlogging should be resolved soon and teams and machinery should be increased if required. (With agency inputs)