Uttarkashi flash floods: 70 rescued, 50 missing; NDRF, cadaver dogs roped in

Anamika Mehra from Jalgaon, Maharashtra, says "... When the incident took place, we were near Dharali. We were on our way to Gangotri for darshan... The next day, the entire country was there to support us. All the teams reached there to rescue us. I want to thank the Indian Army and the Uttarakhand Police. I want to salute the Uttarakhand government for providing us with helicopter service immediately and rescuing us..."

As many as 537 roads have been closed in Himachal Pradesh, including four national highways, and educational institutions, due to heavy rain and landslides.

Of these, 316 are in Mandi district, which was recently battered by cloudbursts, landslides and flash floods; and 117 are in Kullu district.

Chandigarh-Manali National Highway (NH 21), Old Hindustan-Tibet Road (NH 05), Mandi-Dharampur (NH 3) and Aut-Sainj road (NH 305) were closed for vehicular traffic following landslides. Shimla-Kalka National Highway, which was blocked at Chakki Mor near Koti in Solan district, has been opened for vehicular movement, the officials said.

Commuters faced a hard time as road closures led to traffic jams at several places.

Educational institutions, including schools, colleges and anganwadis, were closed in Sunni, Kumarsein, Chopal, Dodra Kwar, Jubbal, Theog and Rampur subdivisions of Shimla district, Karsog and Sundernagar in Mandi district, Nirmand in Kullu district, and some subdivisions in Solan district.

Several schools in Shimla city announced holidays or switched to online classes.

About ten vehicles were buried or damaged in landslides in Nirmand area of Kullu and Tutu area of Shimla district while over five shops were damaged following floods and landslides near Utur Nallah in Nirmand.

Some areas in Shimla city including Bemloe remained without electricity for 6-8 hours as erected trees snapped power lines at several places.

Shimla Jal Prabandhan Nigam Limited (SJPNL) officials cautioned people about disruption in water supply for the next two-three days due to high turbidity at the source.

In Himachal Pradesh, with the water level in Pong Dam rising steadily, the Bhakra Beas Management Board (BBMB) released 23,300 cusecs of water through turbines and spillways on Wednesday evening (5pm).

The released water is expected to flow through areas including Fatehpur, Indora, Riyali, Mand, and parts of Hoshiarpur in Punjab, where flood-like conditions have occurred in the past.

The SDM Fatehpur, Vishrut Bharti, said vulnerable areas have been notified and the administration is prepared. Residents, especially those in low-lying areas, have been urged to stay alert, avoid riverbanks, and follow safety advisories.

Panchayat officials have also been directed to assist in spreading information and supporting relief efforts if needed, he added.

Moderate to heavy rain continued to lash parts of the state.

The Kinnaur Kailash Yatra has been suspended after rain led to significant damage along the pilgrimage route. Most of the trekking paths have become either dangerously slippery or have been hit by landslides, posing a serious threat to the safety of pilgrims.

While some 1,200 pilgrims had to be rescued, those currently on the route have been safely sheltered at Milling Khata and Gufa, and all necessary arrangements have been made for their safety. Two pilgrims have died on the route.

The yatra began on July 15 and will conclude on August 30.

The Yamuna River in Delhi reached the mark of 204.13 metres at the Old Railway Bridge at 4 pm on Wednesday, just 0.37 metres shy of the 204.50-metre warning level.

According to officials, the increase in level is likely due to rainfall in the upper catchment areas of Haryana and Uttarakhand and higher release of water from the Hathnikund barrage.

On Wednesday, for the first time this monsoon, water discharge from Haryana’s Hathnikund Barrage exceeded the 50,000 cusecs mark, peaking at 61,000 cusecs around 6 am.

Water released from the barrage typically takes 48 to 50 hours to reach Delhi. Even lower discharges from upstream are raising the water level, nearing the warning mark in Delhi.

Due to heavy rains in the region over the past few days, including in Himachal Pradesh, water level of the rivers flowing through Ambala in Haryana has started increasing.

The water level of the Tangri river passing through Ambala Cantonment is continuously increasing, while there has been an increase in water level in Ghaggar and Markanda rivers too.

The administration is on alert but insist there is no cause for panic.

Ambala Cantonment Municipal Council Chairperson Swarn Kaur has said the Tangri River is swollen and appealed to people to stay alert.

Tonnes of rubble lay on the affected site in Dharali, with the ITBP, Army and SDRF personnel rummaging through it for those trapped underneath amid continuing rain and road collapses. Here are the latest updates:

• Two Chinook helicopters have reached Sahastradhara helipad in Dehradun in which 50 NDRF jawans are to be taken along with rescue equipment to Dharali.

• Five AN-32 helicopters of the IAF have also arrived at the helipad on the way to Dharali.

• The Army’s Ibex brigade, which had helped in the rescue operations in the Mana avalanche of February, is preparing to take the help of ground penetrating radars and sniffer dogs to search the missing.

• Two more NDRF teams are en route to Dharali but have been unable to get there because continuous landslides have blocked the Rishikesh-Uttarkashi highway.

• According to Mohsen Shahedi, NDRF deputy inspector general (DIG) operations, two NDRF teams are to be airlifted from Dehradun, but they can’t be moved as bad weather is preventing a successful sortie.