Landslides disrupt traffic as heavy rains lash Uttarakhand

DEHRADUN/MUSSOORIE: Heavy rains lashed Uttarakhand in the last 24 hours, causing waterlogging in several areas and landslides in Mussoorie. In Uttarkashi, the Gangotri and Yamunotri highways were blocked. The regional Met centre has issued an orange alert and predicted that rains will continue in the state for at least another week.
Haldwani in Nainital district received the maximum of 150mm rainfall till Tuesday morning, followed by hill town Mussoorie, which recorded 100mm showers, Chakrata received 80mm rains, Barkot 70mm, Dhanaulti 50mm and Pithoragarh 30mm.
The rain in Mussoorie started on Saturday and recurrent landslides on the Mussoorie-Dehradun road started the next day, uprooting trees and causing roadblocks. However, PWD managed to keep clearing the debris to restore traffic.
On Tuesday, a landslide near Indira Bhawan, Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration (LBSNAA), blocked the road leading to the campus. Another landslide was reported at a residential area in Hussainganj, posing risk to nearby buildings. “We have deployed several JCBs to clear the roads so that traffic flow remains smooth,” a PWD official said.
In Uttarkashi, Gangotri highway was blocked early in the morning due to landslides and the Yamunotri highway was blocked at Paligad area. These were opened up later in the day.
Besides, more than two dozen rural roads of the district were blocked by landslides, disconnecting several villages from the district headquarters. Electricity supply was disrupted in five villages of Mori region. Devendra Patwal, district disaster management officer, said, “Most of the roads, including Gangotri and Yamunotri highways, are now open for traffic movement.”