Uttrakhand: Traffic stalled on Gangotri-Yamunotri highway due to landslides

Traffic disruptions were triggered by landslides along the Highway leading to debris pile up, on Friday morning. The officials are working to restore traffic on the Gangotri and Yamunotri National Highway for traffic.

Uttarkashi (Uttarakhand): On Friday, an official reported that landslides in the region caused traffic to come to a halt and be disrupted on the Gangotri-Yamunotri National Highway as debris fell and piled up. The District Disaster Management Officer of Uttarkashi said that there were landslides and falling debris in several areas of the district, which caused the closure of the Gangotri and Yamunotri National Highway to traffic on Friday morning.

"Traffic on the Gangotri Highway was closed due to debris falling at Dharasu, while traffic on the Yamunotri Highway came to a standstill due to landslides at several places, including Dabarkot," said the official. The Yamunotri National Highway experienced traffic suspension on Thursday due to recurring debris falls at five locations in Uttarkashi, namely Dabarkot and Jhar Jhar Gad. The Chamiala-Budhakedar Motor Road has been also closed due to excessive water and debris in Chail Gadere in Lata village of Himachal Pradesh.

The District Disaster Management Officer of Tehri District, Brijesh Bhatt said, due to surging water levels of the Gadere River, water and debris entered 5-6 houses. He told that about 0.250 hectares of agricultural land, belonging to about 15-16 families, have been damaged. However, there were no reports of any loss of life. PWD and the revenue team were at the spot overseeing the relief work.

Earlier, traffic was suspended as debris continued to fall at many places on the Gangotri-Yamunotri National Highway, as persistent rains continue to wreak havoc in the Uttarkashi district of Uttarakhand, officials said on Wednesday. (ANI)