Incessant rain takes the toll to 47 in Uttarakhand

It would take at least four-five days to repair the damaged tracks, DGP Mr. Kumar said.

A house damaged due to heavy rain at Jumma village in Pithoragarh, Uttarakhand. File photo

Forty-two more people were reported killed in Uttarakhand’s Kumaon region on Tuesday as several houses collapsed following the incessant downpour, taking the toll due to rain-related incidents to 47.

The connectivity to Nainital was restored in the evening after hours of struggle amid inclement weather, officials said.

“The number of casualties in the Kumaon region alone has crossed 40,” DIG Nilesh Anand Bharne said.

Twenty-eight people were killed in Nainital district, six each in Almora and Champawat, and one each in Pithoragarh and Udham Singh Nagar districts, the official said.

Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami undertook an aerial survey of the rain-hit areas and also interacted with the affected people. Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke to Mr. Dhami on the phone and assured him of all help.

Interacting with the disaster-affected people in Rudraprayag, Nainital and Udham Singh Nagar districts, Mr. Dhami said people need to have patience in this hour of crisis. The Chief Minister announced compensation of ₹4 lakh each to the next of kin of those killed in rain-related incidents.

DIG Bharne said that despite bad weather and continuing showers, the blocked roads in Nainital were cleared. With connectivity restored, stranded tourists began to leave for their destinations through Kaladhungi and Haldwani, he said.

Director General of Police Ashok Kumar, who accompanied the Chief Minister on his visit to Kumaon, said roads, bridges and railway tracks have been damaged in Kathgodam and Lalkuan in Nainital and Rudrapur in Udham Singh Nagar district.

Around 100 people stranded at the Lemon Tree resort on the Ramnagar-Ranikhet route after water from the swollen Kosi river entered the resort were later evacuated to safety.

While Mr. Dhami reiterated his appeal to Chardham Yatra pilgrims to stay where they are and not to resume their journeys before the weather improves, a Devasthanam Board official said the yatra to Yamunotri in Uttarkashi has resumed with a record 2,381 pilgrims visiting the Himalayan temple on Tuesday.

The State Emergency Operation Centre (SEOC) said most rivers in the State were in spate. The water level in the Ganga in Haridwar has reached 293.90 metres, just a notch below the danger mark of 294 metres. Kali and Saryu rivers in Pithoragarh have reached the danger marks of 890 metres and 453 metres respectively.

The Gori river is flowing close to the danger mark at 606.75 metres, the SEOC said.

Nainital received 90 mm rainfall, Haldwani 128 mm, Koshyakutoli 86.6 mm, Almora 216. 6 mm, Dwarahot 184 mm and Jageshwar 176 mm, the SEOC said.