Rains wreak havoc across the nation
17 Jun 2013 5:45 AM IST
Eight persons were killed in Uttarakhand on Sunday as incessant rains lashed the hill state causing landslides in the higher reaches and sweeping away several roads and bridges in Uttarkashi and Chamoli districts leading to suspension of the Char Dham Yatra.
Continuous rain from the last 45 hours has put a big question mark on the ongoing Char Dham yatra which started after six months. Thousands of stranded pilgrims are waiting for clear sky so that they can resume their holy journey and traders (including priests) are praying to rain god to be merciful.
‘We already predicted correctly of heavy rainfall and lansliding in dangerous zones three days back and also warned pilgrims to go for safer places,’ said Anand Sharma, Director of state Met Department. He added, ‘On 28 June, 1925, the heavy rainfall of 188 mm (of past 24 hours) remained unbroken for nearly eight decades. But, now today’s 222 mm of rainfall has made a new history.’
According to R Rajesh Kumar, district magistrate of Uttarakashi, ‘Heavy rainfall has totally obstructed the vehicular and on foot movement of pilgrims. The district administration has successfully evacuated many stranded pilgrims from dangerous zones to safer zones. The ITBP personnel have played a key role in the entire evacuation process.
‘No casualty has been reported from this region so far,’ he added.
In Dehradun city, three persons met untimely death when house collapsed in Prem Nagar due to non-stop rain. As per private channels report, three houses collapsed due to landsliding near Badkot town in Uttarakashi district with no casualty. Same is the situation in the Chamoli district where pilgrims heading for Badrinath shrine and Hemkund Sahib Gurudwara were stopped at Joshimath as a precautionary measure. The Badrinath highway remained closed due to land sliding debris. The road repair work is in full swing.
It is wake-up call for district administration and disaster management personnel to be mentally and physically prepare to meet any big challenge that can originate at any time if nature’s fury takes it’s gigantic form. The state government has declared red alert and CM has instructed all concerned officers to tackle the situation on war footing.
Meanwhile, state disaster management and rehabilitation minister Yashpal Arya said the administration is on alert to deal with any emergency.
Stranded pilgrims and people living in areas close to the rivers in spate like the Ganga and Bhagirathi are being evacuated to safer places, he said.
The BRO is also busy repairing the roads damaged by rains, he said, adding that the state government has also sought the assistance of ITBP to clear the roads blocked due to landslides.
Continuous rain from the last 45 hours has put a big question mark on the ongoing Char Dham yatra which started after six months. Thousands of stranded pilgrims are waiting for clear sky so that they can resume their holy journey and traders (including priests) are praying to rain god to be merciful.
‘We already predicted correctly of heavy rainfall and lansliding in dangerous zones three days back and also warned pilgrims to go for safer places,’ said Anand Sharma, Director of state Met Department. He added, ‘On 28 June, 1925, the heavy rainfall of 188 mm (of past 24 hours) remained unbroken for nearly eight decades. But, now today’s 222 mm of rainfall has made a new history.’
According to R Rajesh Kumar, district magistrate of Uttarakashi, ‘Heavy rainfall has totally obstructed the vehicular and on foot movement of pilgrims. The district administration has successfully evacuated many stranded pilgrims from dangerous zones to safer zones. The ITBP personnel have played a key role in the entire evacuation process.
‘No casualty has been reported from this region so far,’ he added.
In Dehradun city, three persons met untimely death when house collapsed in Prem Nagar due to non-stop rain. As per private channels report, three houses collapsed due to landsliding near Badkot town in Uttarakashi district with no casualty. Same is the situation in the Chamoli district where pilgrims heading for Badrinath shrine and Hemkund Sahib Gurudwara were stopped at Joshimath as a precautionary measure. The Badrinath highway remained closed due to land sliding debris. The road repair work is in full swing.
It is wake-up call for district administration and disaster management personnel to be mentally and physically prepare to meet any big challenge that can originate at any time if nature’s fury takes it’s gigantic form. The state government has declared red alert and CM has instructed all concerned officers to tackle the situation on war footing.
Meanwhile, state disaster management and rehabilitation minister Yashpal Arya said the administration is on alert to deal with any emergency.
Stranded pilgrims and people living in areas close to the rivers in spate like the Ganga and Bhagirathi are being evacuated to safer places, he said.
The BRO is also busy repairing the roads damaged by rains, he said, adding that the state government has also sought the assistance of ITBP to clear the roads blocked due to landslides.
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