Uttarakhand rainfall: Houses submerge in Rishikesh, 20 people rescued

RISHIKESH (Uttarakhand): State Disaster Response Force personnel have in swift action rescued 20 people trapped in the Ambagh area of Uttarakhand’s Rishikesh following heavy waterlogging in the area. Acting on information that people were trapped in their houses that were submerged due to waterlogging in Seema Dental area, the SDRF team used rafts to rescue 20 people and take them to a safe place, the force said in a statement on Monday.

Meanwhile, SDRF teams carried out rescue operations throughout the night in areas like Kharasrot, IDPL Colony, Laxmanjhula area, Ambagh and Bhogpur in Rishikesh. Due to heavy rains in Uttarakhand since Sunday, normal life has been disrupted in Chamoli, Rudraprayag, Pauri and Dehradun districts among other areas.

Several areas in the State are witnessing waterlogging. SDRF also rescued six people including a pregnant woman from a house that was submerged due to the overflowing Song river in the Raiwala area of ​​the Dehradun district. The pregnant woman was shifted to a local hospital.

The situation in several parts of the state is grim following heavy rainfall. Commandant of State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), Manikant Mishra led an ongoing rescue operation for a family trapped under debris in Pauri Garhwal’s Garud Chatti.

Meanwhile, Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami held a high-level meeting with officials on Monday to take stock of the relief and rescue efforts in different parts of the state. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) on Sunday issued a red alert and predicted heavy rainfall with lightning in six districts of the state for the next twenty-four hours. Very heavy to extremely heavy rain/thunderstorm accompanied by lightning and very intense to extremely intense spell is very likely to occur at isolated places in Dehradun, Pauri, Tehri, Nainital, Champawat and Udham Singh Nagar today, as per IMD. Ashok Kumar DGP (Uttarakhand) said that since August 12 the State has been witnessing heavy rainfall, especially in the Garhwal area. “At all the places the roads are closed and the police and SDRF team are on alert. In the Chamoli and Uttarkashi Mori area, there was a cloudburst. In Rishikesh, there's huge waterlogging. We appeal to all the people to not go to hilly regions,” the DGP said.

Heavy damage was caused by the late night heavy rainfall in Mayapur of Nagar Panchayat Pipalkoti of Chamoli. Earlier, Badrinath National Highway in the Pipalkoti area in Uttarakhand’s Chamoli district has been blocked due to debris triggered by a landslide, following intermittent rainfall. Several vehicles have also been buried under the debris. Chamoli District Magistrate Himanshu Khurana told ANI, "Due to heavy debris coming from the mountain in Pipalkoti, many vehicles were buried under the debris and the roads were closed. At present there is no information about loss of life or property."

"Some portion of the road has been damaged due to heavy debris near Pipalkoti on the Badrinath National Highway," Chamoli Police Uttarakhand said in a tweet. According to Chamoli DM Himanshu Khurana, heavy damage has been caused by heavy rains in the Mayapur of Nagar Panchayat Pipalkoti.

"On Sunday night in Chamoli Badrinath National Highway Mayapur Gadora, the devastation caused havoc in the Mayapur market. Many vehicles in Mayapur are feared to be buried under the debris caused by the intermittent rains," Chamoli DM said. Amid incessant rainfall, the water of the Nandakini River entered houses of Kumartoli locality in Rishikesh.

Drain water entered inside shops in Pipalkoti in Chamoli district on Sunday night. Meanwhile, Rudraprayag Police have issued guidelines asking people to avoid unnecessary travel.

"Due to incessant rains, the Mandakini and Alaknanda rivers passing through the Rudraprayag area have become fierce, so avoid going to the banks of the river. Due to the rain, the routes are also obstructed at many places, so avoid unnecessary travel if it is not necessary," Rudraprayag Police, Uttarakhand tweeted. The Alaknanda River is in full spate and has reached above the danger mark.

Uttarakhand's Srinagar Kotwal Ravi Saini said that "In view of the rising water level of the river, the police have been alerting the people since night, and the people of the houses built on the banks of the river are being alerted." An official estimate earlier put the toll from rain-related incidents at 52 while another 37 people were injured. Heavy rains in Uttarakhand triggered landslides and flash floods in several places, officials said.