Many Houses Gone: Before-After Pics Show Devastation In Uttarakhand Village

A wave of floodwater swept through Uttarakhand's Dharali village on Tuesday afternoon, amid heavy rains, wiping out everything that came in its way.

Visuals showed the waters leaving a trail of destruction, as buildings collapsed like a pack of cards from the force. Among the impacted buildings were houses in the village, with before and after images showing an empty patch of mud where they once stood. People could be heard screaming in fear.

Around 1.45 pm, a cloud burst in the catchment area of the Kheerganga river was followed by flash floods in the village in Uttarkashi district, home to many hotels, restaurants and home stays. Buildings, vehicles and trees were swept away and many were feared trapped in inundated areas.

The raging waters flowed down two different sides of the same hill, one towards Dharali and the other towards the village of Sukki, said state Disaster Management Secretary Vinod Kumar Suman. The rain continued through the afternoon and till evening, with a red alert in place till Wednesday.

Indian Army and state and local authorities launched prompt relief and rescue operations.

Landslides blocked 163 roads, including five national highways, seven state highways and two border roads across the state, further impeding rescue and preventing personnel from getting to the far-flung area, about 140 km from the state capital Dehradun and usually a five-hour drive.

Uttarakhand Principal Secretary R K Sudhanshu said 40 to 50 buildings are damaged. He added that helicopters could not be pressed into service either because of bad weather.

A 16-member Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) team reached Dharali from its 12th battalion stationed at Matli in Uttarakhand while another unit of the same strength was also asked to rush to the disaster site, officials said.

No stone is being left unturned in providing assistance to the people, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said in a post on X. Union Home Minister Amit Shah also spoke to Dhami and ordered the dispatch of seven rescue teams to assist the affected people. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh added that the Centre and the state government are working in tandem, taking all possible measures to save precious lives.