Once again, nature has wreaked havoc in Uttarakhand. Reports of massive destruction have emerged from Rudraprayag and Chamoli due to cloudburst rainfall. The incident occurred in Badeath Dungar Tok under Basukedar tehsil of Rudraprayag and Dewal area of Chamoli. Information has come in that some families are trapped under debris. Two people are reported missing in Chamoli.

In Basukedar area of Rudraprayag, the cloudburst caused severe devastation. According to District Magistrate Prateek Jain, one woman has died and 8 people are missing. The district administration is carrying out relief and rescue operations on a war footing. NDRF, SDRF, police, and revenue department teams are continuously engaged in rescue operations. Similarly, heavy damage has been reported from Budhakedar area of Tehri Garhwal due to a cloudburst. The water levels of the Bal Ganga and Dharam Ganga rivers have risen sharply.

Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami said that he is in constant touch with officials and monitoring the rescue operations. Chamoli District Magistrate Sandeep Tiwari stated that along with two missing persons, several cattle have also been trapped under the debris. Earlier, last week, Chamoli had witnessed heavy destruction due to a cloudburst, blocking several roads and flooding houses with mud.

In Uttarkashi, the Gangotri Highway from Harshil Paratha has been closed for the last 25 days. About 100 meters of the highway is submerged under a lake, and road-cutting work is being carried out on a war footing. According to the DM of Uttarkashi, the road up to Dharali will be completely opened within a day or two.

In Rishikesh, the Ganga River is currently flowing above the warning level. At 12 noon today, the water level of the Ganga was recorded at 339.65 meters, which is 0.15 meters above the warning level (339.5 meters) and 0.85 meters below the danger level (340.5 meters). In this situation, the river could cross the danger mark at any moment.