The Badrinath National Highway and several other roads in Uttarakhand were blocked due to incessant rains and landslides on Monday, officials said. The traffic on the highway was restored after a few hours while efforts are on to open other roads that are still closed, they said.
The MeT department has issued an alert for heavy rains in 11 districts of the state. Uttarakhand Police has appealed to the people to avoid travelling to the hills unless necessary.
According to the State Emergency Operation Center, Koti received a maximum of 155 mm of rain, Bhagwanpur 88 mm, Chakrata 74.3 mm, Vikasnagar 66.5 mm, Mussoorie 60.2 mm, Purola 60 mm, Haridwar 57 mm, Kalsi 55.5 mm, Mori 53 mm, Barkot 51 mm, Dhanaulti 45 mm and Laksar 40 mm in the last 24 hours. Due to incessant rains, all the major rivers, including Ganga are in spate.
In Haridwar, the water level of Ganga was recorded at 292 metres at 8 am, just two metres below the danger level. According to the officials, the administration is on alert and constantly monitoring the water level of the rivers.
The MeT has forecast heavy rains in Haridwar, Udham Singh Nagar, Nainital, Champawat, Pithoragarh, Bageshwar, Almora, Pauri, Dehradun, Tehri and Chamoli on Monday and Tuesday. In view of the rain alert, schools in Dehradun, Nainital, Uttarkashi, Pauri, Udham Singh Nagar and Almora districts were closed on Monday. Meanwhile, the Chamoli district administration declared a holiday for all schools in the district on Tuesday and Wednesday.
State Director General of Police Ashok Kumar, in a tweet, said that there are possibilities of landslides on the hilly roads because of the incessant rains. He has appealed to travellers to avoid visiting the hilly areas if not very important. “Don't travel unnecessarily, stay in a safe place. For any assistance, inform us on 112, we will reach you,” Kumar said.
