Water level of Ganga river rose in Uttarakhand's Rishikesh following heavy rainfall in the state on Monday. Water from rivers and drains entered houses and shops in parts of Uttarakhand on Sunday as heavy rains continued to lash the hill state. Some visuals shared by news agency ANI drain water submerging streets and entering shops in Pipalkoti.
The Uttarakhand State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF) rescued six people, including a pregnant woman, from a house that was submerged due to the overflowing Song river in the Raiwala area of the Dehradun district. The pregnant woman was shifted to a local hospital.
The water level of Nandakini river also crossed the danger mark in Nandanagar area of Chamoli late Sunday, news agency ANI reported. "River water entered many houses and people left their homes and took shelter in safe places," Chamoli police said.
Meanwhile, a resort collapsed in Mohanchatti of Pauri district, killing 5 people. Uttarakhand DGP Ashok Kumar told ANI, "Due to heavy rains in Mohanchatti of Pauri district, a resort has collapsed, 5 people buried. A ten-year-old girl has been rescued alive from under the debris, while four people are still buried. All these people are residents of Kurukshetra, Haryana. The search operation of police and SDRF is going on at the spot."
Dehradun Defence College building in Uttarakhand's Maldevta also collapsed amid incessant rainfall.
Red alert in Uttarakhand
The India Meteorological Department issued a red alert in six districts of Uttarakhand, including Dehradun and Nainital.
Officials said intense to very heavy spells of rain with thunder and lightning at isolated places have been forecast in Tehri, Dehradun, Pauri, Champawat, Nainital and Udham Singh Nagar districts where the red alert has been sounded, while Haridwar district is under orange alert.
Schools closed
Authorities in Dehradun and Champawat have ordered the closure of schools in the two districts on Monday. Meanwhile, the government has directed their district magistrates and the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) to remain alert to assist the people in case of any emergency.
Death toll and damages
Uttarakhand has been reeling under incessant Monsoon showers that have left 60 people dead, 37 injured and 17 missing while affecting normal life, news agency PTI reported.
In addition, 1,169 houses were damaged and a large amount of agricultural land was washed away. Roads and bridges have also suffered a lot of damage due to the rains in the state.
Roads blocked, landlsides
Landslides triggered by incessant rains have blocked traffic on various roads, including national highways, affecting the movement of people, they said.
Rishikesh-Chamba National Highway was blocked for traffic due to a landslide near Kunjapuri Bagardhar in Tehri on Sunday, while the movement of heavy vehicles has been stopped on Rishikesh-Devprayag-Srinagar National Highways at Sakhnidhar.
A red alert is a warning for extremely bad weather conditions that are certainly going to disrupt travel and power and pose a significant risk to life.
An orange alert indicates extremely bad weather with the potential of disruption in commute with road and drain closures and interruption of power supply.
(With inputs from PTI)
First Published: Aug 14, 2023 8:05 AM IST
