Sudden cloudbers and Flash Flood, which came on August 5 in Dhali and surrounding areas of Uttarkashi, have caused huge havoc. So far at least five people have died in this disaster while more than 50 people are said to be missing. The most worrying news is that 9 soldiers are missing from an army camp located near Harshil. Flash Flood shed many houses, shops, hotels and vehicles, causing chaos in the entire area. Happy tops and Dhali villages are the most affected, where debris and sharp edge of water destroyed the villages completely.
Teams of Army, NDRF, SDRF and ITBP are continuously engaged to speed up rescue operations. The search for missing people continues with the help of Chinook helicopter, Kadever dogs and modern radar systems. Army’s Chinook helicopters have been deployed from Sahastradhara Aterustrip to evacuate people trapped in remote and inaccessible areas.
Local administration says that bad weather, broken roads and flowing bridge are becoming a major obstacle in rescue operations. The roads are completely closed in many places and there are huge difficulties in taking the villagers to safe places. So far, around 190 people have been evacuated.
Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami visited the affected areas and took stock of the situation and monitored relief work. He said that the state government is working on a war footing and every victim will be given necessary help. Prime Minister Narendra Modi also inquired about the situation and expressed condolences to the affected.
The initial cause of this disaster was stated to be cloudburst, but the experts are now investigating the possibility of breaking the glacial lake outburst Flood (Glof) or glacier. Environmental scientists have warned that due to climate change and unscientific construction works, hilly states like Uttarakhand are becoming extremely sensitive to disasters. This incident of Uttarkashi is not only a human tragedy, but once again raises questions on the environmental fragility of the Himalayan region and our development policies.
