Mussoorie/Haldwani: Heavy rains continued to lash Uttarakhand, triggering landslides and boulder falls that blocked over 373 roads, including key stretches of the Char Dham yatra highways, while major rivers in some areas swelled above warning and danger marks in several districts.
Amid the downpour, panic gripped Tok Basotiya village in Okhalkanda block of Nainital district after a woman went missing and is feared to have been swept away in the swollen Basotia river.
Officials said Tulsi Devi (50), wife of Tejram, had gone to cut grass in a nearby forest on Tuesday but did not return. When villagers resumed the search on Wednesday morning, they found her slippers and sickle near the riverbank, sparking fears that she had slipped into the river.
Family members and villagers searched through the night but failed to locate her. A State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) team later joined the operation, but no success was reported till late evening. Bhimtal MLA Ram Singh Kaira, who visited the spot, assured locals that the search would continue.
According to the State Disaster Management Authority (SDMA), 374 roads were closed due to slides and boulder falls, including 249 PMGSY and 86 PWD roads. Uttarkashi was the worst-hit with 55 blocked routes, followed by Udham Singh Nagar and Almora with 43 each. Pauri and Rudraprayag reported 37 and 42 closures, respectively.
In Uttarkashi, the Silai Bend stretch was blocked, halting diesel supply to upper areas before it was cleared after more than an hour’s effort. NH-34 at Dharasu remained shut due to landslides, while the Border Roads Organisation (BRO) managed to reopen stretches at Aungi and Bhatwari by evening.
Chamoli district reported 53 blocked rural and provincial routes. NH-109K, connecting Simli, Tharali and Gwaldam, was obstructed at multiple points, with agencies pressed into service to clear debris.
The water level of the artificial lake in Syana Chatti on the Yamunotri Highway, which had risen above bridge level on Tuesday, receded by three feet on Wednesday, providing relief to residents. “Channelisation work is underway and the situation is improving,” said Panni Lal, executive engineer, Purola division.
Data from the Central Water Commission showed the Aglar river in Tehri breaching its danger mark at 688.70 metres, while the Yamuna touched warning levels at Kuthanur and Naugaon in Uttarkashi. The Ganga was above danger at Koteshwar (Tehri) and Haridwar, and just below warning level at Rishikesh. In Pithoragarh, the Gauri Ganga and Saryu rivers also crossed warning levels.
Tehri disaster management officer B.B. Bhatt said an alert had been issued for Thatyur hamlet near the Aglar river. “There is no immediate threat but people have been advised to shift to safer places if the water level rises further,” he said.
Meanwhile, the state recorded an average of 28.2 mm rainfall in the 24 hours ending 8.30 am Wednesday, 193% above the normal of 9.6 mm. Udham Singh Nagar received the highest rainfall at 65 mm (856% above normal), followed by Nainital (58.2 mm, 434% above normal) and Champawat (54.4 mm, 449% above). Dehradun logged 43.7 mm (267% above normal), Bageshwar 33.4 mm (611% above), and Almora 27.2 mm (479% above).
The State Emergency Operations Centre in Dehradun issued a flash flood watch for Dehradun, Uttarkashi, Tehri Garhwal and Rudraprayag till 5.30 am Thursday, following an IMD forecast of heavy overnight rain. A yellow alert has also been issued for heavy rain and thunderstorms in Uttarkashi, Rudraprayag, Chamoli, Bageshwar, Pithoragarh, Nainital and Champawat districts.
District administrations have been directed to keep JCBs and excavators on standby and ensure officers remain at their posts with active communication lines.
In Rudraprayag’s Basukedar area, which was recently hit by a natural disaster, relief and rescue operations continued. Teams from SDRF, NDRF and DDRF are searching for missing persons, while a helicopter delivered rations to remote villages including Uchhola, Taljaman and Dungar. Community kitchens have also been set up in inaccessible hamlets. District supply officer KS Kohli said, “Three-month ration supplies were earlier distributed in Bangar region villages and the September quota is also being delivered without delay.”