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Last updated: July 10, 2023, 02:33 AM IST
Mandi: Panashvaktra temple submerged in the river Beas swollen by heavy monsoon rains in Mandi district, Sunday, July 9, 2023. (PTI Photo)
Continuous rains and landslides in Uttarakhand claim lives as water levels rise in major rivers. A red alert has been issued as heavy rain continues
Continuous rains and landslides in Uttarakhand killed six people on Sunday, and authorities in the hills state declared a red alert as water levels rose in all major rivers, including the Ganges, amid forecasts of more heavy rains in the next two days.
In view of the bad weather, Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dami urged people to avoid unnecessary movement and asked pilgrims coming to the state to plan their trip only after getting the latest weather information to avoid inconvenience. He said in a tweet that he had ordered the administration to remain on “red alert” to deal with any type of situation.
Many roads have been closed due to landslides, affecting normal life as well as hampering the Char Dham trek in which a large number of people visit the state. Officials said the water levels of major rivers in the state, including the Ganga, were rising.
A jeep carrying 11 pilgrims from Kedarnath plunged into river Ganga in Muni Ki Reti district of Teri Garhwal district. State Disaster Response Force Inspector Kavendra Sajwan said that with the help of divers, five people were rescued and the bodies of three pilgrims were recovered. A search is on for the other three missing persons.
The passengers were residents of Delhi, Bihar and Hyderabad. The inspector in charge of Muni Ki Riti Ritesh Sah police station said the accident occurred between Malkunti Bridge and Anand Kashi Hotel near Gular on Rishikesh Badrinath National Highway.
Sah said five rescued passengers were taken to the government hospital in Rishikesh. A large number of trees have been uprooted in Kashipur district of Udham Singh Nagar district. Due to heavy rains, two houses collapsed in Misarwala village of Kashipur district of the district, killing a couple and injuring their granddaughter.
According to the Emergency Operations Center of Uttarakhand, the victims have been identified as Naseer Ahmed, 65, and his wife, Mohammadi, 60. The couple’s 18-year-old granddaughter, Mantasa, was injured in the accident and taken to hospital. In another incident in Barkot town of Uttarkashi district, an off-duty policeman died after being hit by a rock in a landslide.
Another house keeper who was posted there barely survived the falling stone. The accident occurred on the Yamunotri National Highway where Chief of Police Chaman Lal Tomar, 45, was assigned for the safety of the passengers. He was rushed to a local hospital, where doctors pronounced him dead.
Disaster Management Secretary Ranjit Kumar Sinha has instructed district magistrates to be vigilant and take appropriate precautions in view of rising river levels. They asked the management to constantly monitor the water levels of the rivers, not to turn off their mobile phones and allow any movement of tourists in the high Himalayan regions during warnings of heavy rain.
The Uttarakhand police also tweeted asking the Kanwaria to be vigilant in light of the rising water levels of the Ganges in Haridwar. Meanwhile, the meteorological department here has forecast heavy rains on July 11 and 12 in eight out of the state’s 13 districts – Chamoli, Puri, Pittoragarh, Bageshwar, Almora, Champawat, Nainital and Udham Singh Nagar.
(This story was not edited by the News18 staff and was published from a syndicated news agency feed – PTI)
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