Cloudburst, landslides, disrupt normal life in Uttarakhand

The weather department has sounded the alarm bell for the hilly state of Uttarakhand, with an alert being issued for heavy rains in Dehradun and Rudraprayag witnessing cloudburst on Sunday night.

Mussoorie: Overnight heavy rains, cloudburst and landslides have battered the hilly state of Uttarakhand with Mussoorie and Rudraprayag bearing the brunt of the recurring calamity.

The Queen of hills, Mussoorie witnessed disruption in normal life due to incessant rain, resulting in landslides in some parts of the city.

Mussoorie-Dehradun highway was also affected by the debris due to the landslide, completely disrupting traffic. Another landslide was reported from near Kolukhet and JP Band area.

On the other hand, a tree fell on near Sanjha Durbar on Mussoorie-Campty Road, obstructing the way after which a JCB machine was called to clear it. But, while removing the tree, the JCB machine overturned on the road injuring the driver.

The Mussoorie Police, Public Works Department (PWD) and Fire Department has reached the spot and are trying to clear the way, however, continuous rain in the area is making the restoration work difficult.

The weather department has issued alert for Dehradun and predicted very heavy rainfall for the next 24-hours at the capital city.

Cloudburst at Rudraprayag

A cloudburst occurred late night on Sunday in Rudraprayag due to which houses were inundated with debris and boulders obstructed roads. The affected villagers vacated the houses and a team has rushed to the area for rescue work.

The connecting bridge of Gorpa-Sirwadi was also damaged, affecting the movement of people and rescue workers.

Previously, in 1986 too, the village witnessed a cloudburst that had claimed 17 lives and affected more than 100.

At the time, the Uttar Pradesh government had done a geological survey of the area as a result of which, experts suggested moving the villagers from the calamity-prone zone. However, until now, nothing has been done.