Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami on Tuesday said 11 more deaths were reported in rain related-incidents, taking the toll across the state since yesterday to 16. He assured that a total of three Indian Army choppers have been deployed in Kumaon and Garhwal regions to assist in relief and rescue operations. Major rivers including Ganga, Gola, and Kali have been flowing above the danger mark and people residing nearby have been shifted to safe locations.
“Eleven people died today, while five were killed in two incidents yesterday. The maximum number of deaths have been reported from Nainital. Rescue teams are working hard. We have sought help from the Army. Two Army choppers are deployed in Kumaon and one in the Garhwal region," he said.
Uttarakhand Metrological Centre has predicted clear weather in the state from Wednesday. The Kumaon region has broken the record of the last 124 years as some places received over 500 mm of rainfall in the last 24 hours. The rains are likely to halt from today evening, it said.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) had issued a warning for moderate to heavy rains between October 17-19. However, the weather has improved in the Garhwal region, while it is raining heavily in the Kumaon region consisting of six districts – Nainital, Almora, Pithoragarh, US Nagar, Champawat, and Bageshwar.
The major impact was witnessed in Nainital as the city’s lake overflowed and flooded the roads leaving locals and tourists stranded. The areas such as – Ramgarh, Dhari, and Garampani have been most affected. Nainital was cut off from the rest of the state with three roads leading to the popular tourist spot blocked due to a series of landslides.
Teams of the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) were rushed in the morning as the heavy rains and cloud burst worsened the situation and people were forced to leave their homes.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke to Dhami to take stock of the situation in Uttarakhand hit hard by incessant rains.
Uttarakhand Disaster Mitigation Minister Dhan Singh Rawat has claimed that the government has not suspended the Char Dham pilgrimage but has suggested pilgrims stay at safe places and not proceed further. Authorities in Uttarakhand advised Chardham pilgrims, who arrived in Haridwar and Rishikesh by Sunday, not to proceed to the Himalayan temples till the weather improves.
Speaking to News18.com, he said, “We will allow movement of the pilgrims if the situation improves."
Moreover, continuous rains have also affected the power and water supply in hills. The internet services as well have been partially hit. Not only in hilly areas, but the incessant rains have also resulted in flood-like situations in the plains like Rudrapur and Gadarpur.
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