Uttarakhand: Pindar, Pranmati rivers in spate, houses and agricultural lands in Chamoli affected

Chamoli (Uttarakhand) [India], August 18 (ANI): After heavy rainfall in the state, the water level in the Pindar river in Tharali area of Chamoli district has also surged, a senior official said on Friday.

“There was heavy rain in the area late at night yesterday, after which the water level of the Pranmati river started flowing above the danger mark. Due to this the Pindar river also came in spate,” Chamoli District Magistrate Himanshu Khurana said.

The DM further stated that the surge in the water level of the rivers created an atmosphere of panic among the local people of the area and that several houses and agricultural lands in the area were damaged.

The police and the administration have been continuously engaged in the relief efforts in the Tharali area, the DM said.

He further said that no casualty has been reported so far, but houses and agricultural lands in the area have been damaged.

Earlier today, heavy rains disrupted normal life in the Kaluwala area of Dehradun.

The rainwater entered the houses and caused waterlogging on the streets, officials said.

According to State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), information was received from the Disaster Control Room that incessant rainfall created major waterlogging in the streets and that rainwater has also entered people’s homes in Dehradun’s Kaluwala area, disrupting daily life.

After receiving the information, a team of SDRF reached the spot and immediately engaged in the work.

Meanwhile, in Uttarakhand’s Rishikesh yesterday, the movement of two-wheeler vehicles was stopped on the Ram Jhula Bridge as a precautionary step.

The Pauri administration has banned the movement of two-wheelers on the famous Ram Jhula Bridge due to the rise in waters of the river Ganga, officials said.

Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami on Monday conducted an aerial survey of flood-affected areas in the state and also reviewed the increasing water level of the Ganga river in Rishikesh.

Rishikesh recorded the highest rainfall, across the country, in a span of 24 hours on Monday morning with the India Meteorological Department (IMD) data showing that it received 42.00 cm of rain during the period.

According to official estimates, 52 people died due to rain-related incidents in the state this monsoon season while another 37 sustained injuries.

On the instructions of Chief Minister Pushkar Dhami, SDRF and NDRF personnel were deployed in places badly affected by rain-related incidents.

Heavy rains in Uttarakhand this monsoon have triggered landslides and flash floods in several places.