The Char Dham Yatra has been disrupted in a big way on Thursday, as torrential rains that occurred in the state last night painted a disastrous scenario, and landslides, flooding 155 roads, including national highways. The orange alert has also been issued by the India Meteorological Department (IMD) about four districts in view of heavy to very heavy rainfall for Friday and Saturday, thus raising more concerns for the pilgrims and the locals.
In the Chamoli district, the Badrinath national highway was blocked at Kamera, Bhanerpani and Pagal Nala in the morning around 6.30 am as a result of landslides. Teams from the National Highways Authority (NHA) put into motion machines to clear the rubble, which took almost three hours before travellers could continue on their way with strict police control.
In Uttarkashi, the connection with the Gangotri and Yamunotri shrines used to be very fragile. The Gangotri highway, which had been rendered vulnerable after the August 5 disaster at Dharali, was yet again blocked at Dharasu and Songad. Equally, the Yamoes-nortri highway also recorded new roadblocks at Kuthnaur and Naradchatti. Restoration workers succeeded in clearing similar lengths even after hours of work, but officials have advised the shortest possible speed to travel through them.
Meanwhile, in Harsil, water levels in a temporary lake left after the Dharali flash flood had receded by almost 1.5 metres, after being manually channelised by irrigation device entities. Embankments are being cemented to protect their habitations and the apple orchards, such as the economic crutch of the region. Nonetheless, muddy silt materials are also hampering the machine’s work. The farmers who raised apple trees have expressed concern that massive losses will be incurred in case the roads are not rehabilitated within a short time, as the harvest is due within this month.
The Border Roads Organisation (BRO) has deployed heavy machinery to the landslides-affected area, such as JCBs, PCLs, etc, to clear the debris fields and resume traffic. In Tehri district, there are 25 areas cut off with widespread reports of damage to houses, agricultural land and water pipes, leaving several settlements isolated. Policemen are still working around the clock trying to achieve normalcy through the worst weather forecasts.
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