‘Red Alert’ Issued for Uttarakhand, Char Dham Yatra Halted Due to Heavy Rains
IMD issued a red alert with a forecast of heavy to very heavy rainfall at many places in Uttarakhand.
Rains and snowfall in Uttarkashi district.
(Photo: Accessed by The Quint)
All devotees undertaking the Char Dham Yatra have been asked to postpone it by a day or two in view of the heavy rains in Uttarakhand.
Chief Minister (CM) Pushkar Singh Dhami spoke with district magistrates (DMs) of Pauri and Rudraprayag to take a stock of the latest situation on Monday, 18 October.
Pauri DM told the CM that three people died and two were injured in an incident of roof collapse in Lansdowne. The injured were shifted to the hospital, news agency ANI reported.
Further, Rudraprayag DM informed Dhami that out of the 6,000 devotees at Kedarnath temple on Sunday, 4,000 of them have returned and 2,000 are at safe locations.
On Sunday, Dhami had assured people that all arrangements were being made to take care of any emergency situation. The chief minister had also directed the police, the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), and other personnel concerned to be on high alert.
Around 20,000 pilgrims visited the Kedarnath temple on Saturday, the highest number this season. Police said around 15,000 were sent back to Gaurikund on Sunday.
Meanwhile, the Gangotri Dham of Uttarkashi district received the first snowfall of the season on Monday.
Snowfall in Uttarkashi district.
Snowfall in Uttarkashi district.
IMD Warnings
The Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) issued a warning that widespread rain is expected on Monday and Tuesday.
The IMD on Sunday issued a red alert with a forecast of heavy to very heavy rainfall at many places and extremely heavy rainfall at isolated places in Uttarkashi, Chamoli, Rudraprayag, Pithoragarh, Bageshwar, Almora, Nainital, Champawat, Dehradun, Tehri, and Pauri Garhwal districts for 18 October. Heavy rains are expected in Uttarkashi, Chamoli, Rudraprayag, Pithoragarh, Bageshwar, Nainital, and Champawat districts.
Heavy to very heavy rains, lightning, hail storms and high speed winds (60-70 kmph) have been predicted by the weather department for all the 13 districts of Uttarakhand.
The state has further barred trekking/camping and mountaineering groups from entering into the forest areas of Nanda Devi Biosphere Reserve, Gopeshwar, from 17-19 October. All schools in Chamoli, Nainital, Almora, and Dehradun have been directed to stay shut on Monday, as per directions by the District Magistrate of the respective districts.
The district level Khel Mahakumbh events to be held at parade and pavilion grounds in Dehradun on 18-19 October have been cancelled. They have been rescheduled for 24 and 25 October.
(With inputs from ANI.)
(At The Quint, we are answerable only to our audience. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member. Because the truth is worth it.)