Residents of the Syanchatti area in Uttarkashi staged a protest by standing waist-deep in the flooded waters on the submerged bridge on Friday, blaming the administration for the formation of an artificial lake on the Yamuna and the subsequent submergence of many houses.
The protesters alleged that timely intervention could have prevented the crisis.
The problem began after a cloudburst in a local stream on June 28, said Naveen Rana, village head of Kunsala gram panchayat, under which Syanchatti falls.
“The artificial lake began forming on July 3, raising the river’s level nearly 20 feet above normal. Despite repeated complaints, including one sent to the PMO, the administration deployed only a single machine and took no concrete action,” he said.
“Now the situation has become dire with homes and structures submerged,” he added
Gopal Rana, a hotelier in Syanchatti, added, “Had the administration acted promptly in early July to check the lake’s formation, we would not be facing this crisis today.”
The villagers also blocked a road in protest, demanding that urgent steps be taken to drain the lake and ensure he safety of their homes and livelihoods.
On Thursday, fresh landslides triggered by heavy rainfall in Uttarkashi led to boulders tumbling into Syanachatti village from the hills, cutting off the Yamuna and creating an artificial lake that inundated large swathes of the hamlet.
Officials said a red alert was sounded and houses and hotels in Syanachatti were evacuated.
Panni Lal, executive engineer of the irrigation department’s Purola division, said the river was flowing along the side of the blockage and the water level has receded by nearly one metre.
“Work is underway to remove the obstructions from the temporary lake,” he said.
For the clearance operation, three Poclain machines have been deployed by the irrigation department, while NH Barkot has pressed two Poclains, four JCBs and a compressor into service. The forest department has also provided support vehicles, he said.
Revenue officials said 19 hotels and shops, two residential buildings housing 10 families, the GMVN rest house, a cooperative society building, a public toilet, a primary school, the Raj Krishna temple, the Syanachatti police post, an NH bridge, and the Patwari post in the area have been flooded.
District magistrate Prashant Arya and superintendent of police Sarita Dobhal visited the site on Friday to review safety measures. Police have erected barricades on both sides of the lake and pilgrims have been stopped at safe points such as Barkot and Kharadi until the water is drained.
Officials said the lake was formed after heavy debris from the rain-fed Garh Gaad stream in Kukra Khad gorge blocked the Yamuna. Houses, hotels and other low-lying structures have been evacuated as a precaution, while drones are being used to monitor the situation.
Chief minister Pushkar Singh Dhami assured residents that the situation would be brought under control soon. He directed disaster management secretary Vinod Kumar Suman to coordinate with the district administration and asked SDRF, NDRF and irrigation teams to work on a “war footing” to clear the obstruction.
Suman said swampy conditions were hampering full channelisation of the river. “The water is draining from one side of the river but other options are being explored,” he added, urging residents not to pay heed to rumours.
Yamunotri MLA Sanjay Dobhal also visited the area and appealed to locals not to panic, assuring them that all necessary safety measures were being taken and that teams from the Central Water Commission are continuously monitoring the Yamuna’s level at Syanachatti.
Officials said the Yamuna touched 1,058.89 metres at Naugaon on Thursday morning, breaching the warning mark of 1,058.74 metres.