new delhi, Jul 20
A child went missing after being swept away by the swollen Saryu River, while another person died after being struck by lightning in Uttarakhand, officials said on Monday. They said that landslides triggered by incessant rains blocked around 150 roads, including four national highways, they said, adding that the administration temporarily suspended the Char Dham Yatra on Monday as a precautionary measure. The pilgrimage would resume only after the routes are safe and conditions return to normal, they added. Garhwal Commissioner Anand Swarup instructed all concerned District Magistrates and officials to ensure that pilgrims currently on the pilgrimage routes are accommodated in safe locations and that no pilgrim is allowed to proceed further until the routes are declared completely safe. The Meteorological Department has issued a ‘Red Alert’ for heavy to very heavy rainfall in Dehradun, Tehri, and Haridwar districts for Monday, and an ‘Orange Alert’ for the remaining districts, they said, adding that the administration across the state has been instructed to remain vigilant around the clock. In view of the heavy rain warning and to ensure student safety, a holiday has been declared for schools (Classes 1-12) across all districts of the state. An eight-year-old child was swept away in the Saryu River in the Kapkot area of ??Bageshwar district on Monday.
Praveen Goswami, the District Disaster Management Officer (in-charge) for Bage-shwar, said the child, named Rakesh, had gone to the river with his mother to fetch water for a Shivling offering at a temple when he was swept away by the swollen river.
He said that teams from the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), and Water Police are engaged in the search operation, but the child has not yet been found.
According to the State Emergency Operation Centre (SEOC), Diwan Singh, 52, died after being struck by lightning on Sunday evening while grazing goats in a forest near Phu village in the Dharchula area of Pithoragarh district.
According to the centre, water and debris inundated six to seven shops in the Narayanbagar market of Chamoli district during heavy rainfall early Monday morning. Operations to clear the debris are currently underway.
During this period, Shama recorded 220 mm of rainfall, Pokhari and Didihat 109 mm each, Kichha 108 mm, Maldevta 103.5 mm, Rudrapur 99 mm, Kapkot 97 mm, Hathibadkala and Gauchar 95 mm each, Bangapani 92 mm, Loharkhet 91 mm, Narendra Nagar 82.5 mm, Tejam 81 mm, Dharchula 77.2 mm, Ukhimath 77 mm, Khatima 75 mm, Dangoli 73 mm, Dhanolti 72 mm and Kirtinagar 70 mm.
Due to continuous rainfall, a total of 149 roads across the state, including four national highways, are closed to traffic.
According to the centre, the Tawaghat-Gunji and Dharchula-Tawaghat national highways in Pithoragarh district, and the Herbertpur-Barkot and Dehradun-Tyuni-Chakrata-Mussoorie national highways in Dehradun district, are closed due to landslides and debris accumulation.
The administration appealed to the pilgrims undertaking the Char Dham Yatra to disregard rumours, rely solely on official information issued by the administration, and adhere to the instructions of the respective district authorities until weather and route conditions normalise.
