Two years before the Uttarakhand flood on February 7, residents of Raini village had raised an alarm of a mishap.
In the summer of 2019, the villagers filed a public interest litigation (PIL) in the Uttarakhand High Court that the construction of the Rishi Ganga hydel project could cause huge damage to them, reported Hindustan Times.
The PIL, filed by Kundan Singh on behalf of the scheduled tribe villagers from the village, alleged that stone crushing and blasting activities in the terrain there had caused wild animals to flee and enter Raini village.
Concerning the allegations levelled in the PIL, the court had directed the state government to check what was going on in Raini village of Chamoli concerning the construction of the hydel project, said the report.
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The court directed the district magistrate of Chamoli and member secretary state pollution control board to constitute a joint team to inspect the project site and assess the impact on the environment and the locals due to the blasting and the stone crushing activity, the report said.
In 2019, the matter of muck removal near Raini village also came up in the hearing, said Abhijay Negi, counsel of Raini village. The villagers had raised an alarm much in advance, warning that things were not fine in their area, he said. Even the court issued two orders, but nothing much was done by the government, added Negi.
The villagers of Raini were jolted at around 10 am on February 7 by a loud sound and the sight of huge torrents of water and sludge in the Rishi Ganga river hurtling towards them. Many were feared swept away in the sudden floods including those who were working near the river. A major motorable bridge on the main border road was also washed away. Around 125 people are still missing while the glacier burst has killed at least 14.
Some ancient temples built about 20 metres above the confluence of Rishi Ganga and Dhauli Ganga rivers have also been swept away by the violent avalanche.