Rishikesh-Badrinath highway blocked due to landslide in Tehri Garhwal

Clearing work is begun after traffic has been suspended on the Rishikesh-Badrinath highway following a heavy landslide in Uttarakhand's Tehri Garhwal district. The water level in the Pindar River in the Tharali area of Chamoli district surged following heavy rainfall.

Tehri Garhwal (Uttarakhand) : Traffic has been suspended on the Rishikesh-Badrinath National Highway-58 following a heavy landslide from the mountain in the Totaghati area of Tehri Garhwal district, officials said on Saturday. Tehri District Magistrate Mayur Dixit spoke about the heavy landslide that struck the Totaghati area which led to traffic on Badrinath Highway being stopped.

He said that road clearing work was in progress and since the magnitude of the landslide was high it could take some time to clear the road. Yesterday, the water level in the Pindar River in the Tharali area of Chamoli district surged following heavy rainfall in the state. "There was heavy rain in the area late at night yesterday, after which the water level of the Pranmati River started flowing above the danger mark. Due to this the Pindar river also came in spate," Chamoli District Magistrate Himanshu Khurana said.

The DM further stated that the surge in the water level of the rivers created an atmosphere of panic among the local people of the area and that several houses and agricultural lands in the area were damaged. Heavy rains disrupted normal life in the Kaluwala area of Dehradun on Friday. The rainwater entered the houses and caused waterlogging on the streets, SDRF said.

State Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami had on Monday had conducted an aerial survey of flood-affected areas in the state and also reviewed the increasing water level of the Ganga river in Rishikesh. Heavy rains in Uttarakhand this monsoon have triggered landslides and flash floods in several places. (ANI)