Garhwal Post Bureau
CHAMOLI, 21 Mar: Heavy rainfall in the border district of Chamoli has once again triggered incidents of landslides, leading to the closure of key routes including the Badrinath National Highway and the Niti–Malari Highway, causing significant inconvenience to travellers and local residents. Falling rocks and debris from hillsides have blocked the roads at multiple locations, and although efforts are underway to clear the debris using JCB machines, continuous stonefall is hampering restoration work.
According to reports, areas at higher altitudes such as Pana, Irani, Jhinji, Sutol, Kanol, Ramni and Padergaon, along with more than 50 villages, witnessed rainfall accompanied by snowfall, though the snow melted soon after. The combined impact of rain and snowfall has led to a sharp drop in temperatures, with Badrinath recording temperatures as low as minus four degrees Celsius. The highways remain blocked at several points, further aggravating the situation.
Continuous rainfall has intensified the hardships faced by residents as landslides have disrupted normal life. The Badrinath National Highway has been completely blocked near Govindghat at a location identified as Pinola, where large boulders rolled down onto the road. Long queues of vehicles have formed on both sides, with stranded passengers waiting for the route to reopen. Similarly, the Niti–Malari National Highway has been obstructed near Syon-Saldhar due to landslide activity, temporarily cutting off connectivity between several villages in the valley and their respective tehsil headquarters.
The authorities have indicated that the risk of further rockfall remains high due to ongoing rainfall and snowfall in higher reaches, posing challenges to restoration efforts. Chamoli Police stated that concerned departments have reached the affected sites and debris clearance operations are in progress with the help of machinery. However, persistent falling of stones from the hillsides continues to delay the reopening of the highways, though efforts are being made to restore traffic movement at the earliest. It is pertinent to note that Uttarakhand has been witnessing continuous rainfall since the previous day, along with snowfall in higher regions, resulting in a considerable drop in temperature. Several incidents of falling debris have been reported across the hill roads, prompting the administration to advise people to avoid travel to mountainous areas unless absolutely necessary, as the risk of landslides remains high during such weather conditions.
In the Joshimath region of Chamoli, heavy rainfall has caused hillsides to become unstable, while Badrinath Dham remains covered under a layer of snow. After three days of continuous rain and snowfall, a brief spell of sunshine offered a glimpse of the scenic landscape, even as connectivity issues persisted. The Badrinath Highway continues to remain blocked near Govindghat at Pinola due to large boulders.
The Niti–Malari Highway has also been disrupted near Saldhar due to landslides. Sub-Divisional Magistrate Chandrashekhar Vashisht stated that the Border Roads Organisation has been directed to restore the highway at the earliest. Meanwhile, efforts are also underway by the Border Roads Organisation to reopen the Gangotri Highway, which has been closed due to snowfall. The Yamunotri Highway remains blocked at Jangalchatti, where authorities are similarly working to restore traffic movement.
Despite the improvement in weather with sunshine after two days of rain and snowfall, vehicular movement continues to remain affected due to blocked routes. The adverse weather conditions have also impacted ongoing development works, as snowfall has brought work under the Badrinath Master Plan to a halt for the past two days. In view of weather alerts, labourers engaged in the project were moved back to Pandukeshwar, while reports indicate that glaciers in the Dham area are witnessing rapid movement. Additionally, snowfall led to blockage of the Badrinath Highway near Kanchan Nala, forcing workers to return midway due to the closure of the route.
