Landslides block highways to Adi Kailash, Badrinath & Yamunotri

Gaurav Talwar / TNN / Updated: Jul 4, 2024, 09:41 IST

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Heavy rainfall triggers landslides in Uttarakhand, causing road blockages and disruptions in multiple areas. Villages cut off, highways blocked, and pilgrimage to Adi Kailash suspended. One casualty reported in Chamoli district. Red alert in Nainital prompts school closures. Bageshwar also affected with road closures and debris entering homes. Rivers overflowing with significant rainfall recorded. Authorities and agencies working to clear blocked roads and manage the aftermath of the natural disasters in Uttarakhand.

Landslides block highways to Adi Kailash, Badrinath & Yamunotri

Representative photo

DEHRADUN: Heavy rainfall continued to cause widespread disruption across Uttarakhand, particularly in hill areas where landslides had blocked multiple highways. On Wednesday, a massive landslide at Raongti Nala on the Dharchula-Lipulekh highway cut off 30 villages in the Darma, Chaudas, and Byas valleys from the rest of the state. The same highway also leads to Adi Kailash and the landslide cut off the way to the peak.

The route is taken by pilgrims going for the Adi Kailash yatra which has been suspended since June 25 due to the heavy rains.
A widely circulated video of the landslide captured by a local shows rocks and boulders rolling down the mountain, creating clouds of dust and debris.
In Pithoragarh, 21 roads remained blocked due to rain-triggered landslides, according to the district's disaster emergency operation centre. The Badrinath and Yamunotri highways were blocked by landslides at Pagal Nala near Lambagad in Chamoli and near Dabarkot in Uttarkashi, respectively.
One person was killed and another injured after the bike they were riding was hit by a landslide near Nandkesari in Chamoli district on Wednesday. The deceased was identified as Nitin Chandola, 21. He was a local, according to the authorities.

Officials at the State Emergency Operation Centre (SEOC) reported that agencies like the Public Works Department (PWD) and Border Roads Organisation (BRO) are working round the clock to reopen the blocked highways.
In Nainital, a red alert was issued for heavy to extremely heavy rainfall in some areas, and a holiday declared for all schools and anganwadi centres on Thursday. Several areas reported moderate to heavy rainfall.

Similar conditions in Bageshwar due to continued rainfall since Tuesday led to the closure of 24 roads and there were reports of debris entering homes. Rivers and streams were reported to be overflowing, with 100 mm of rain recorded in Kapkot. The Garud Ganga river was also flowing at full force.
(With inputs from Prem Punetha in Pithoragarh, Sonali Mishra in Nainital and Yogesh Nagarkoti in Bageshwar)