By Our Staff Reporter
Dehradun, 26 Sep: As had been warned by the Meteorological Department, heavy rains lashed the state over the past two days. Many roads and highways were blocked due to landslides in the past two days. A minor girl was drowned in a drain which she could not spot due to the area getting flooded at Madrasi Colony near Rest Camp yesterday. Today, her dead-body has been recovered. The drain was not visible due to flooding due to heavy rain last evening. Meanwhile, according to the Meteorological Department, there is a possibility of rain in various districts of the state till 30 September.
Due to the rains, landslides occurred at many places in Pachhwa Doon including Jajred Hill on the Kalsi-Chakrata motor road and as a result, roads were blocked. As of this evening, many vehicles were still stranded on the road. Two JCB machines are deployed to open the motor road. Kalsi-Chakrata motor road has been closed due to the debris of Jajred Hill. The administration is engaged in clearing the debris from Kalsi to Chakrata at Jajred and open the road for traffic.
Heavy rains continued today also in some areas of Uttarakhand. Due to rain, reports of road closure due to landslides are being received from several areas of the state. However, the administration is continuously engaged in opening the closed roads as well as smoothening the traffic.
According to Dehradun Police, the body of a five-year-old girl who fell into the drain near the under-construction railway over bridge in Madrasi Colony, Dehradun, was recovered by the SDRF this afternoon.
Many rivers and other water bodies are in spate due to heavy rains in different districts including Tehri, Chamoli in Uttarakhand. Due to the rising water level of the rivers, landslides and erosion have occurred at many places. The water level of the rivers has increased once again due to the continuous torrential rains in Tehri Ghansali since late night. The water level of the Dharmganga river has increased in the disaster-affected area Budhakedar, due to which a Pokland machine engaged in clearing the debris got stuck in the middle of the river and was swept away.
At the same time, due to heavy rains in Mussoorie late last night, life has been disrupted. People had to face a lot of trouble. Due to heavy landslide in Rajmandi near the clock tower of Mussoorie, a house also reportedly came under threat as debris entered the house due to landslide. The road going to Mussoorie-Khetwala has also been completely damaged due to landslide. The road is also currently closed due to heavy landslide near Kempty Bazaar on Mussoorie-Kempty National Highway. Hundreds of vehicles are stuck on both sides of the road. The debris on the road is being removed by the National Highway officials with JCB. But it is likely to take time for the road to open. Water also entered the shops near Mussoorie Mall Road Gandhi Chowk. The goods kept inside the shop were also reported to have spoiled.
Due to heavy rains in Rudraprayag, the Rishikesh-Badrinath National Highway’s Narkota road has been blocked for traffic since this morning due to continuous falling of stones from the hill. Traffic has been stopped in view of the safety of the passengers. Movement on the highway has been closed for five hours. Due to heavy rains under Ghansali Assembly constituency of Tehri district of Garhwal division, Dharmganga is again in spate. One JCB got washed away in the strong current of the river. The second JCB escaped from getting caught in the strong current of the river on the bank. The Road between Budhakedar and Pinswaad has also been badly damaged.
Debris has stopped coming near Almora-Haldwani National Highway 109 Quarab. Due to the closure of the road, a long queue of vehicles is reported from both sides of the blockage. The administration has dispatched two JCBs as soon as the information of the closure of the road was received. Due to which the work of removing the debris is being started. This morning, just before the bridge built near Quarab, suddenly big boulders started falling from the mountain. So much debris came with the big boulders that the entire road was filled with debris. It was a matter of luck that the debris fell on this usually a very busy road at a time when no vehicle was passing from there. According to the local people, the stones fell from the mountains between 3 to 4 in the morning. Due to which the debris came on the road and there was a jam on both sides. The road was once again blocked due to heavy debris on the road.
