“Landslide filled our house with debris, returning to normal will be a challenge”: Chamoli resident after Tharali cloudburst

An entire house was filled with debris in the landslide that followed the cloudburst. Restoration work is now underway to repair the damaged infrastructure.Local resident Bhaskar Pandey said it would be difficult to return to normal life. “After continuous rainfall on August 22, there was a loud explosion, and we ran away. The landslide filled our house with debris. The local administration and police asked us to move to a safe spot. They are helping us, but it will be a challenge to go back to normalcy,” Pandey told ANI.

Earlier, on Sunday, Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami visited the disaster-affected area of Tharali in Chamoli district and inquired about the well-being of the affected people. The Chief Minister assured all possible help to the affected families and also reviewed the relief work.

The Chief Minister said that the government is fully standing with the affected families in their time of crisis and assured them of all possible help. Dhami said that relief and rescue operations are being conducted on a war footing.Departmental officials have been instructed to conduct relief and rescue operations on a 24/7 basis. No stone will be left unturned in the relief and rescue operations at the state government level, said Dhami.

According to officials, the cloudburst on Friday night in Toonri Gadera of Tharali tehsil left one person dead and another missing, while several others sustained injuries. Debris from the downpour swept into Tharali market and nearby areas, damaging houses, including the Sub-Divisional Magistrate’s residence, and burying vehicles and shops.