Landslides block Gangotri highway

Tribune News Service

Dehradun, July 13

The Gangotri national highway in Uttarkashi district of Uttarakhand was blocked by rain-triggered landslides leaving a large number of pilgrims stranded.

The Thursday night rains led to landslide at around 5 am on Friday at Dharasu bend-Nalupani stretch completely halting traffic movement in Gangotri national highway that connects Uttarkashi district headquarters to Gangotri. District and Border Roads Organisation authorities are working on a war footing to remove the debris and clear the road. It was expected that traffic movement will be restored by late night.

Further, authorities removed debris from Yamunotri highway that was blocked at Ojri due to landslides. However, the Badkot-Mussoorie road is blocked due to landslides and efforts have been undertaken to resume connectivity. The water level of Ganga is on the rise. It had already reached 291.25 meters mark during morning hours.

Several interconnecting rural roads are also stated to be blocked. As many as 32 rural roads are blocked in Pithoragarh district whereas 18 rural roads are blocked in Chamoli district. Sixteen rural roads in Bageshwar and12 rural roads in Pauri are blocked. Two rural roads are blocked in Champawat district. 

In Pithoragarh district, 27 drinking water pipelines have also been damaged.

Meanwhile, the MeT office has again forecast heavy rains in parts of the state in the next 24 hours. The MeT office held that heavy rainfall is likely to occur at isolated places in the districts of Uttarkashi, Chamoli, Rudraprayag, Tehri, Nainital, Bageshwar and Pithoragarh.

Taking into account alert issued by the MeT department, Chief Minister Trivendra Rawat has directed all district magistrates to be prepared for any exigency. He has also asked all the senior district officials to be in coordination.