Heavy monsoon rain continued to lash parts of Uttarakhand on Tuesday, prompting the India Meteorological Department (IMD) to issue an orange alert for several districts, while authorities closed schools and Anganwadi centres and urged residents and Char Dham pilgrims to remain cautious.
The state administration advised people to avoid rivers and streams, refrain from non-essential travel, and exercise caution in hilly areas, where the risk of landslides has increased due to persistent rainfall. Tourists and pilgrims have also been asked to follow weather advisories issued by the IMD and district authorities.
The IMD has forecast heavy rainfall accompanied by lightning in Uttarkashi, Chamoli, Rudraprayag, Tehri and Pauri Garhwal districts over the coming hours.
Pilgrims travelling to Kedarnath, Badrinath, Gangotri and Yamunotri have been advised to check the latest weather conditions before starting their journey, with officials warning of an increased risk of landslides, falling rocks and other weather-related hazards in the mountainous terrain.
The Badrinath National Highway was blocked after debris accumulated near Kanchannala, disrupting vehicular movement on the route.
In Dehradun district, continuous rainfall also damaged the newly constructed bridge over the Tons River at Nanda Ki Chowki in Prem Nagar, affecting connectivity between Dehradun, Vikasnagar and neighbouring Himachal Pradesh.
The weather department has warned of very heavy to extremely heavy rainfall in several areas, including Purola, Barkot, Gangotri, Kedarnath, Badrinath, Sonprayag, Tharali, the Nanda Devi region, Munsyari, Berinag, Gangolihat, Didihat, Jaspur, Rudrapur and Khatima.
Authorities have urged people living in vulnerable areas to remain alert and avoid venturing into landslide-prone locations until weather conditions improve.
(IANS)
