- Heavy rain in Uttarakhand have suspended Char Dham and Hemkund Sahib Yatras temporarily
- Landslides and debris have blocked 111 roads, including National and State Highways
- An Orange alert for heavy rain has been issued for multiple districts
Heavy rains in Uttarakhand have forced authorities to temporarily suspend the Char Dham Yatra and Hemkund Sahib Yatra. Landslides, debris and falling boulders have blocked 111 roads across the state.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued an Orange alert for heavy to extremely heavy rainfall in eight districts of Uttarakhand on July 29. Officials said the yatra will resume once the weather improves and the routes are declared safe.
The weather department has also issued an Orange alert for July 30. Heavy rainfall is likely in Bageshwar, Nainital, Champawat and Pithoragarh districts. A Yellow alert has also been issued for Uttarkashi, Dehradun, Pauri, Tehri and Nainital.
According to official data, 111 roads, including three National Highways and six State Highways, remain closed due to landslides and debris. Most of the blocked routes are rural roads. In addition, 24 Public Works Department (PWD) roads are also shut, and restoration work is underway.
District-wise, Almora has two closed roads, Bageshwar eight, Chamoli twelve, Pauri six, Pithoragarh sixteen (including one National Highway and one Border Roads route), Rudraprayag five, Tehri seventeen and Uttarkashi has eleven closed roads. Several roads, including a district road, are also closed in Nainital.
According to official data, the highest rainfall was recorded in Maldevta (Dehradun) at 233 mm, followed by Dehradun city with 194.5 mm, Jolly Grant with 172.2 mm and Mussoorie with 163 mm.
Other areas that recorded significant rainfall include Ukhimath (120 mm), Didihat (102 mm), Mohammadpur (95.8 mm), Dhanaulti (88 mm), Haldwani (83 mm), Thal (83 mm) and Chamoli (80.6 mm). Heavy rainfall was also recorded in Tejam (73 mm), Berinag (72 mm), Kirtinagar (70 mm), Narendra Nagar (63 mm), Rishikesh (61.4 mm) and Uttarkashi headquarters (61 mm).
Other towns that received heavy rain include Jakholi (58 mm), Sitarganj (57 mm), Bhatwari (55 mm), Kanalichhina (53.3 mm), Kapkot (53 mm), Joshimath (51 mm), Devalthal (50 mm) and Bageshwar (50 mm). Bangapani recorded 42 mm of rainfall, while Salt and Kichha received 40 mm each. Dharchula recorded 38.8 mm, and Devprayag received 38.4 mm during the same period.
The heavy rainfall has also raised water levels in several rivers. In Rudraprayag, the Mandakini and Alaknanda rivers are flowing close to the danger mark.
Officials have advised people to avoid unnecessary travel in hilly areas, follow weather advisories and stay away from landslide-prone routes until conditions improve.
