Following heavy rains in the state, five people were reported dead and 11 missing on Friday, with several villages getting cut off due to blocked roads and network failure.
At 3:45 am, heavy rainfall in the tehsils of Baskedar and Jakholi, particularly in areas such as Chenagad and Taljamun, caused flash floods and landslides, affecting 30–40 families. Damage to some houses and roofs, as well as the loss of livestock, has been reported.
In various villages, subsidence and cracks in houses have surfaced. So far, 200 people have been rescued and moved to safe locations by the state disaster response force, police, fire teams, and revenue officials.
In Bageshwar, around 3 am, heavy rainfall battered Pousari village in Kapkot tehsil, causing landslides and damaging five–six houses. In Mapota, where a couple died, at least 25 buildings suffered damage.
In Rudraprayag’s Jakholi, a woman, Sarita Devi, was reported dead, while eight are missing in Chenagad; in Chamoli, a couple, identified as Kamla Devi and Tara Singh, were killed; and in Bageshwar, two women, Bachuli and Basanta Devi, have died. Three are missing in Bageshwar.
In Chenagad, a video showed a bus submerged in the debris. The driver and conductor, along with other stranded people, were rescued and safely relocated to a secure area.
India Meteorological Department’s 24-hour data at 8:30 am on Friday showed a massive departure from the normal rainfall benchmark based on historical data for this time of the year. Rudraprayag received 94.9 mm of rainfall in 24 hours, instead of the normal of 14.8 mm. While Bageshwar received 84.6 mm (the normal is 4.1 mm), Chamoli recorded 72.3 mm (the normal is 5.2 mm).
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So far this month, Bageshwar has received 951 mm of rainfall, as against 233.2 mm, which is normal for this time of the year in the region. Last week, Chamoli, Tehri Garhwal, and Bageshwar recorded rainfall 60 per cent in excess of the long-period average.
An orange alert is in effect for Dehradun, Uttarkashi, and Bageshwar for Saturday with heavy to very heavy rain and thunderstorms accompanied by lightning in the forecast. Heavy rain is likely in Tehri, Rudraprayag, Chamoli, Pithoragarh and Pauri districts.
Disaster Management and Rehabilitation Secretary Vinod Kumar Suman said that places affected remain cut off, rendering it difficult for responders to access remote areas. “A village with around 30 families has been encompassed by water. We are hoping the water recedes tomorrow so they can be safely evacuated,” he said.
Vivek Prakash, the additional district magistrate of Chamoli, said that with rainfall abating, they have been able to resolve the blockages at various points of National Highway 109 at Gwaldam. “Rescue operations are underway. As a precautionary measure, we have evacuated a few families at Nanda Nagar tehsil in the district,” he said.
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Meanwhile, the government is pushing residents to use the Sachet app, an early disaster warning and response mobile application for Android developed by the Government of India. Officials of the disaster management department directed district officers to run campaigns to ensure as many people as possible download it.
