Page 5 - Uttarakhand

Torrential monsoon rains cause floods, landslides across Northern India

Rescue and relief are underway as swollen rivers flood roads, with army, NDRF, SDRF, and authorities working to aid affected areas and restore normalcy

Nature's fury: 7 die in Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand landslides

Seven people died in Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand in landslides, while flood-hit Punjab received another spell of torrential rain on Monday, leading to the closure of all schools and colleges in the state. In Jammu and Kashmir, amid heavy rainfall in Katra town, the pilgrimage to Mata Vaishno Devi shrine remained suspended for the seventh consecutive day since a landslide on a yatra route claimed 34 lives last Tuesday. Union Home Minister Amit Shah said the Modi government is committed to ensuring the rehabilitation of those affected by recent floods in Jammu and Kashmir, as he undertook a whirlwind tour of a worst-hit area in Jammu. He was accompanied by Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, and senior J&K BJP leaders. Chairing a high-level meeting at Raj Bhavan to review the latest situation after inspecting the affected areas, Shah appreciated the efforts of all the agencies and said the J&K government carried out the successful rescue operation

Red alert for most of Uttarakhand; CM asks officials to maintain 24X7 vigil

Predicting extremely heavy rains to very heavy rain for the next two days, the meteorological centre has issued red and orange alerts for most of Uttarakhand. Following the warning, Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami on Sunday directed the officials to remain alert round the clock. Red alert has been issued for Dehradun, Tehri, Pauri and Haridwar for Monday, predicting extremely heavy rain at some places and heavy to very heavy rain at some places. For September 2, the Met office circulated an orange alert for very heavy to heavy rain at some places in Dehradun, Uttarkashi, Rudraprayag, Chamoli and Bageshwar districts. Amid the forecast, schools have been closed in many districts, including Dehradun, Tehri, Pauri and Champawat. The CM, in a meeting with senior officials, said that the coming few days will be challenging, and appropriate steps should be taken to ensure the safety of common people. Dhami asked the State Disaster Management and Rehabilitation Secretary Vinod Kumar Sum

Uttarakhand landslide: 19 NHPC workers trapped inside Dhauliganga project

Nineteen workers of National Hydroelectric Power Corporation Limited (NHPC) were trapped inside a power house on Sunday as a landslide blocked normal and emergency tunnels of Dhauliganga Power Project in Uttarakhand's Pithoragarh, officials said. Dharchula Deputy District Magistrate Jitendra Verma said that machines have been deployed to remove the debris, and the way will be cleared by evening, after which all the workers will be able to come out. The path leading to the normal and emergency tunnels of the Dhauliganga power project in Ealagarh area near Dharchula here in the district was blocked due to a landslide caused by heavy rains. He said that despite the continuous falling of debris, the work of clearing the way is underway with the help of JCB machines of the Border Roads Organisation. Verma said that all the workers are safe and they will come out after the way to the power house is opened. He also said that power generation from the power project is continuing normally.

Six dead, 11 missing as cloudbursts trigger landslides in Uttarakhand

Six people were killed and 11 went missing as heavy rains and a series of cloudbursts wreaked havoc in various districts of Uttarakhand early Friday, triggering landslides that damaged houses and left people buried under mounds of rubble, officials said. Chamoli, Rudraprayag, Tehri, and Bageshwar districts bore the brunt of the natural calamity, which came close on the heels of the Tharali disaster on August 23. Uttarakhand has been hit hard by natural calamities this monsoon season. Before the tragedy in Tharali, Chamoli, Uttarakhand had already witnessed devastation on August 5 when a flash flood in the Kheer Ganga River swept through Uttarkashi district, razing nearly half of Dharali -- a key stopover on the Gangotri route dotted with hotels and homestays. The neighbouring Harsil area, where an Army camp bore the brunt of the flood, was also hit, leaving residents with barely any time to flee to safety. The Uttarakhand State Disaster Management Authority (USDMA) here said excess

Cloudbursts in Rudraprayag, Chamoli districts, several families trapped

Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami on Friday said that the debris flow after the cloudburst has blocked areas, leaving several residents stranded

North India's hill states are flooding again. Is rain the only culprit?

Above-normal monsoon rains have battered Himachal, J&K, Uttarakhand and Punjab but experts say poor planning, fragile infra and slow progress on climate resilience worsened the devastation

Uttarakhand CM announces ₹5 lakh aid for flash flood victims in state

CM said that the state government is fully standing with the disaster-affected people and every possible arrangement will be made for the better rehabilitation of the disaster-affected people

Operation Kalanemi: Over 4K verifications, 300 arrests made in Uttarakhand

Under the leadership of CM Dhami, the police and administration have so far verified more than 4000 people in the state, out of which more than 300 people have been arrested, the statement said

Schools shut in Uttarakhand's Pithoragarh as IMD warns of heavy rainfall

The IMD on Friday issued an orange alert for the district, forecasting heavy to very heavy rainfall and possible thunderstorms and lightning

Cloudburst in Chamoli triggers flash floods: 1 dead, rescue ops underway

A cloudburst in Chamoli's Tharali area killed one person and left two missing; homes, shops and vehicles were buried under debris as Army, NDRF and SDRF teams carry out rescue operations

Gangotri, Yamunotri Highways in Uttarkashi blocked; clearance work underway

On Wednesday, two people died after debris fell from a mountain on the Gangotri Highway in the Dabrani area of Uttarkashi, Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami said

Madrassas need to get state board affiliation by July 1: Uttarakhand govt

The Uttarakhand government added that madrassas would be able to seek recognition as minority educational institutions only after applying to the Uttarakhand State Minority Education Authority

Uttarakhand govt passes Uttarakhand Freedom of Religion (Amendment) Bill

The Bill includes punishment for marriage under false identity and incitement for conversion through social media

Current plans for all-weather roads in U'khand may be eco disaster: Experts

Two members of a Supreme Court-appointed panel on Wednesday warned of Dharali-like consequences if the much-hyped Chardham all-weather road widening project in Uttarakhand is pursued in its current form. They also described the Dharali disaster as a fallout of state authorities ignoring repeated scientific warnings against unregulated construction and tourism activities in the fragile Himalayas. In a letter written on Tuesday to the road transport and highways ministry, senior geologist Navin Juyal and environmentalist Hemant Dhyani said the uniform 10 m widening of the Chardham all-weather road on the valley side slopes both in lesser and higher Himalayas has created multiple new chronic zones along the widened roads. They advocated adopting an alternate DPR submitted by them to the ministry nearly two years ago detailing a flexible and disaster-resilient road widening design that could be followed in the Bhagirathi Eco Sensitive Zone (BESZ) which will ensure minimum tree felling a

Cloudy skies, drizzle in Delhi; IMD issues heavy rain alert for Uttarakhand

IMD forecasts cloudy skies and drizzle in Delhi; Uttarakhand faces red, orange, and yellow alerts for heavy to very heavy rain in multiple districts this week

Uttarakhand HC forms team to report on Uttarkashi flood relief facilities

A massive mudslide struck Dharali village in the Kheer Gad area near Harsil, triggering a sudden flow of debris and water through the settlements on August 5

Uttarakhand issues red, orange, yellow alerts as IMD forecasts heavy rain

Authorities have been instructed to monitor traffic, share timely updates, and ensure emergency preparednes

NGRI experts launch search ops to trace 66 missing in disaster-hit Dharal

Equipped with Ground Penetrating Radars, experts from the National Geophysical Research Institute (NGRI) on Tuesday launched a search operation to trace the 66 people, including 24 Nepali labourers, reported missing since raging waters and mudslides buried virtually half of Dharali village in Uttarkashi a week ago. The team of experts, which reached the flood-ravaged site on Monday evening, will identify and focus on places where there may be human presence under the debris, they said. Ground Penetrating Radars (GPRs) is a geophysical method that uses radio waves to detect objects and structures below the surface. The NGRI had used its GPRs to locate people trapped in the SLBC tunnel collapse in Telangana in February this year. These radars of NGRI can detect human life even in the presence of mud and water, the officials said, adding that the GPR surveys will also detect anomalies within the debris. On Monday, incessant rain in various parts of Uttarakhand, including Uttarkashi,

Uttarakhand Police conducts search, rescue in Dehradun's disaster-hit areas

A rescue operation was launched amid a massive mudslide that struck Dharali village in the Kheer Gad area near Harsil