By ARUN PRATAP SINGH
Garhwal Post Bureau
Dehradun, 30 Jun: Widespread disruption continued in Uttarakhand today due to relentless monsoon rains, triggering landslides and blocking major highways. Pilgrims have been stranded, and schools were declared closed for today across the state. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued a red alert regarding heavy to very heavy rainfall for several hill districts and the plains including Dehradun, Uttarkashi, Rudraprayag, Tehri, Pauri, Haridwar, Nainital, Champawat and Udham Singh Nagar, while placing all 13 districts of the state under a general rain alert. The situation has been compounded by natural disasters and ongoing rescue efforts, painting a grim picture of the state’s vulnerability to seasonal fury.
As of today, 179 roads remain blocked across Uttarakhand as the story was being filed, severely affecting connectivity in the hill state. Among these are two National Highways, three State Highways, one Border Roads Organisation National Highway, 85 Public Works Department (PWD) roads and 88 rural roads. In Almora district, two PWD roads and two rural routes are obstructed. In Bageshwar, 10 PWD roads and 16 rural roads were reported to be blocked. Chamoli districts remains one of the worst affected with 20 PWD roads and 27 rural roads closed. Landslides in the area near Gauchar have disrupted the Rishikesh–Badrinath National Highway due to heavy rockfall, leaving commuters and pilgrims stranded. Continuous clearing operations by earthmovers have been underway since morning to reopen the road. The Karnaprayag–Nainital Highway is also shut near Randoli due to debris deposited by a swollen seasonal stream, while the Badrinath-Rishikesh highway remains blocked at multiple points, including Sirobgad and near Nandprayag and Bhanerpani. In Champawat, one State Highway and seven PWD roads are shut. Four PWD roads are reported to be blocked as of today in Dehradun district. Three roads are reported to be obstructed in Nainital, while in Pauri, 10 PWD roads and 11 rural routes are reported to be closed. Pithoragarh is affected by the closure of one BRO highway and 12 rural roads, while in Tehri district, two State Highways and 16 PWD roads have been reported to be closed. Uttarkashi, reeling from a cloudburst, has seen two National Highways damaged, with major disruption on the Yamunotri National Highway between Silai Band and Ojri and the Brahmkal–Mahargaon section.
In response to the hazardous conditions, the Education Department ordered the closure of all government and private schools and Anganwadi centres across the state today for Classes 1 to 12. It may be recalled that, in Barkot, Uttarkashi district, heavy rains triggered a cloudburst yesterday morning, resulting in the washing away of seven labourers working on a construction site. So far, two bodies have been recovered while five individuals remain missing. Twenty-nine workers were trapped, out of whom twenty were rescued successfully. Rescue teams, including fifteen personnel from the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), an additional twenty team members and two sniffer dog squads, are still deployed at the site, braving continuous rain and rising water levels to search for the missing.
In another grim incident, six pilgrims remain missing following the tragic bus accident in Gholteer, Rudraprayag, which occurred on 26 June when their vehicle plunged into the Alaknanda River. Search and rescue operations are ongoing but are being hindered by adverse weather conditions and swollen river currents.
According to the State Emergency Operation Centre, efforts are being made to clear debris and reopen the roads which are blocked but continued downpours have delayed progress. The rivers across the region are reported to be flowing dangerously above normal levels, increasing the risk of flash floods and bank erosion. In districts like Tehri Garhwal, Chamba, Jakhindhar and Dughamandar, water and electricity supply lines have been adversely impacted, leaving residents struggling amidst the inclement weather.
Reports indicate that at least 65 people have died in rain-related incidents across Uttarakhand this June alone, more than double the toll reported in the same month last year. This includes 45 lives lost in road accidents and 20 due to natural calamities, with 18 individuals still missing. Geologists and experts have voiced growing concern that extensive road-widening and construction projects are further destabilising already fragile slopes, exacerbating the frequency and intensity of landslides in the region. The heavy influx of tourists and pilgrims—reportedly up by 29 per cent this year—is adding additional strain to the overstretched hill infrastructure.
With forecasts predicting continued heavy to very heavy rainfall in the days to come, the state government has appealed to residents and tourists alike to avoid non-essential travel, particularly in hilly and landslide-prone areas. Night travel has been restricted on several pilgrimage and mountain routes to avert further casualties.
