Himalaya Harbinger, Uttarakhand Bureau
In view of a heavy rainfall warning from the Meteorological Department. The department has also issued an orange alert for five districts — Chamoli, Rudraprayag, Uttarkashi, Pithoragarh and Udham Singh Nagar, warning of heavy to very heavy rain and thunderstorms.
The alert follows days of continuous rainfall across the hill state, with the Meteorological Department flagging very heavy to extremely heavy rain over Purola, Barkot, Gangotri, Kedarnath, Badrinath, Sonprayag, Tharali, the Nanda Devi mountain region, Munsyari, Berinag, Gangolihat, Didihat, Jaspur, Rudrapur and Khatima.
Bageshwar district, too, has kept all government and private schools from Class 1 to 12, along with Anganwadi centres, shut for a second straight day after continuous rain since Monday, while Nainital’s hill areas face a heightened risk of landslides.
Beyond Dehradun, very heavy to extremely heavy rain is expected in the pilgrim towns of Kedarnath, Badrinath, Gangotri and Sonprayag, as well as Munsyari, Berinag and Khatima in the Kumaon hills.
The district administration has advised pilgrims travelling the Char Dham route to check weather updates before setting out, given the rising threat of landslides and falling debris on hill roads.
Officials have urged residents to avoid unnecessary travel between July 28 and 30, stay away from riverbanks and drains, and check the latest weather updates before heading into hill districts. Municipal bodies in Haridwar and Udham Singh Nagar have been told to stay alert for waterlogging, even as the rain has brought relief from heat and humidity in the plains.
The Meteorological Department expects the wet spell to persist through July 30, with Dehradun, Tehri, Uttarkashi, Rudraprayag, Chamoli and Bageshwar likely to see heavy rain again on July 29, followed by a fresh spell over Uttarkashi, Dehradun, Nainital and Bageshwar on July 30.
