Cloudburst in Dehradun, SDRF swings into action

A cloudburst occurred in Raipur block in Dehradun district of Uttarakhand in the early hours of Saturday. The cloudburst was reported by locals at 2.45 am on Saturday in Sarkhet village in Raipur block.

Dehradun (Uttarakhand):A cloudburst took place in the Raipur-Kumalda area in Uttrakhand's Dehradun district on the early hours of Saturday. Locals said that the incident took place at around 2.45 am.

Upon being informed about the incident the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) rushed to the spot and rescued the affected villagers. "All the people stuck in the village were rescued while some took shelter in a resort nearby," SDRF officials said.

According to sources in the State administration, a bridge over the Song river was washed away and the Kempty Falls, a famous tourist destination spot near Mussoorie, was flowing dangerously. They further revealed that mud entered the homes in over a dozen villages following which the SDRF shifted them to safe locations. The affected villages include Maldevta, Bhutsi, Tauliyakatal, Thatyud, Lavarkha, Ringalgadh, Dhuttu, Ragad Gaon, and Sarkhet.

The affected residents have been shifted to schools and panchayat buildings, said Sub-Divisional Magistrate, Dhanolti, Lakshmi Raj Chauhan. He also said that the Raipur-Kumalda motor road has been blocked due to debris at a number of places. Water also rushed into the famous Tapkeshwar Mahadev temple in Dehradun. However, there was no loss of life.

"Due to the continuous torrential rains since yesterday, the Tamasa river flowing near the famous Tapkeshwar Mahadev temple in Dehradun has taken a formidable form. Due to this the contact of Mata Vaishno Devi Cave Yoga Temple and Tapkeshwar Mahadev has been lost, and the pool has also been damaged. By the grace of God, there has been no loss of life or property," said Acharya Bipin Joshi, the founder of the temple.