Priyanka Bisht had been trying to find a way to reach Dehradun since Tuesday, after her husband Mukesh’s creatinine blood level shot up. Mussoorie resident Mukesh, a kidney patient, had to undergo his biweekly dialysis on Tuesday. The duo got into a car and drove till they reached Galogi, where they had to turn back due to road closures on the way from Mussoorie to Dehradun.
On Wednesday, Mukesh was one of the 12 patients at the ITBP helipad in Mussoorie waiting to be airlifted.
Following a cloudburst in Dehradun’s Sahastradhara on Tuesday early morning, at least 13 people died and 16 are feared missing. The Disaster Management Authority has said that 15 bodies were retrieved in Uttarakhand — 13 in Dehradun and one each in Pithoragarh and Nainital — while several have gone missing after a cloudburst occurred on the intervening night of Monday and Tuesday. Along with the toll, several areas, including Mussoorie, have been cut off from the city with multiple blockages on the alternative routes.
While the tourism department says 511 tourists registered on their portal are stranded in Mussoorie, the actual number is feared to be in the thousands.
Mukesh has been undergoing dialysis at Krishna Medical Centre in Dehradun since 2023, when he was diagnosed with kidney failure. At the helipad on Wednesday were 10 patients with kidney diseases and two awaiting surgeries. “We have not been able to get on a flight because of the inclement weather. His blood parameters are not looking good, and it gets worse as the treatment gets delayed,” said Priyanka.
At the helipad was Rajat Aggarwal, the Mussoorie Traders Welfare Association president, who has been helping locals access the assistance of the state. On Tuesday, as it became clear that the hill station was isolated, the association decided that the tourists who were to check out on the day the disaster struck were to be given free accommodation and meals until they could leave.
“We cannot monetise a disaster. These people had to cancel and reschedule their flights, and it was wrong to charge them when the situation was grim. We have also been coordinating with local authorities to facilitate alternative routes to reach Dehradun,” said Aggarwal.
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Currently, the Dehradun-Mussoorie highway is choked at different points, and residents have been checking the feasibility of the Chamba-Tehri-Rishikesh and Vikasnagar routes. “The routes are over 100 km long, but since many tourists have their flights booked, they have decided to take the long way home,” he said.
The carnage
As many as 13 bridges have been impacted, estimated to cost Rs 1.5 crore; 21 roads have suffered damage, estimated at Rs 1.2 crore; and embankments worth Rs 1.7 crore have also been hit.
Damage included some residential houses, an anganwadi centre, a panchayat building, a community centre, 13 shops, eight hotels and three restaurants. The Sahastradhara-Karligad motor road was damaged at more than nine points due to landslides.
A businessman from Haridwar, Rajendra Sharma, reached Mussoorie on Monday for work and had planned to leave on Tuesday. On Monday night, Mussoorie saw heavy rainfall, putting Sharma and others at unease. “The rain was not relenting, and soon the town lost power. The next morning, we understood the gravity of the situation. Several routes were blocked, and I had to stay put. However, the hotel has covered my expenses of accommodation, medical aid, and food; it would have been difficult to stay had it not been for the assistance they have provided to the guests,” he said.
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Several spots on the highway have seen landslides with increased frequency over the last few years. According to the GoI’s Department of Science and Technology, very high and high landslide susceptible zones lie in the settlement area, including Bhataghat, George Everest, Kempty fall, Khattapani, Library road, Galogidhar, and Hathipaon. They are covered by highly fractured Krol limestone exhibiting a slope of more than 60 degrees.
The Landslide Susceptibility Mapping published in the Journal of Earth System Science showed that while 15 per cent of the region is highly susceptible to landslides, about 29% of the area falls in the moderate landslide susceptible zone.
In Sahastradhara, a group of seven men had gathered to celebrate the birthday of their friend when the incident took place. Anik Tyagi, who hails from the city, said that at night, a torrent of trees, rocks, and water came gushing out of nowhere. “Five of my friends got swept away while three of us held on to each other. We found a tree and clung to it till morning. Two children came to us and said that their parents had been swept away. The man whose birthday we were celebrating also got swept away. We saw him fall into the water,” he said.
Their bodies are yet to be retrieved. The authorities have identified 12 of the 13 dead, while the search is on for at least 16 reported missing.
