Garhwal Post Bureau
Chamoli, 4 Apr: A lightning strike in Chamoli’s Nijmula valley late last night wiped out nearly 500 goats belonging to more than a dozen shepherds. The tragic incident has plunged shepherd families into deep distress. The affected families have demanded urgent compensation against the loss they have suffered. The sudden calamity has left the valley reeling, with livelihoods shattered and an atmosphere of gloom prevailing across the region.
According to reports reaching the district headquarters, the goats which were killed by the lightning strike belonged to 14 shepherds, including Rakesh Singh, Hukam Singh and Madan Lal, who have suffered losses running into lakhs of rupees. The Department of Animal Husbandry has deputed its officials to conduct post-mortem examinations of the animals on site. The shepherds have stressed that years of their hard work were wiped out in a single moment and the tragedy has left them struggling to sustain their families. They have urged the district administration to assess the damage and provide immediate compensation.
District Disaster Management Officer Nand Kishore Joshi confirmed that information has been received about the death of 500 goats due to lightning in Bhanali Tok. He observed that the India Meteorological Department had already issued an orange alert for Chamoli district for 3, 4 and 5 May, warning of hailstorms, heavy rainfall and strong winds. The weather has remained inclement since late Sunday night, with intermittent showers continuing across the region.
It may be recalled that Nijmula valley is the largest hub of goat rearing in district Chamoli and here livestock rearing is the primary source of livelihood for the villagers. The continuous rainfall, hailstorms and gusty winds since yesterday evening turned dangerous by the night in the hills and the Meteorological Department had issued orange alerts for several districts including Dehradun, Tehri, Haridwar, Pauri, Nainital, Champawat and Udham Singh Nagar. These areas were expected to witness heavy to very heavy rainfall, hailstorms and winds reaching speeds of 40 to 50 kilometres per hour.
The incident has cast a pall of gloom across the valley, bringing to light once again the vulnerability of mountain communities to sudden weather extremes. It remains to be seen, what compensatory measures are taken by the district and the state administration in the wake of the tragedy.
