Heavy rains wreak havoc in Uttarakhand: SDRF team rescues villagers in Vikasnagar

A team of State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) rescued 20-30 villagers and helped them cross a raging river in Tauli Bhud of Vikasnagar on Friday, following a heavy downpour that caused waterlogging in several parts of Uttarakhand, damaging roads and other infrastructure. The weather department has issued a warning, forecasting heavy rain in the state. According to the meteorological department, heavy rainfall may occur over Nainital, Champawat, Udham Singh Nagar, Bageshwar and Pithoragarh. As incessant rains continue in the region, the water level of the rivers is on the rise, and infrastructure has been damaged in many parts of the city.  Waterlogging due to rain has caused the water to enter houses and caused damages inside. 

In Dehradun, at least 90 families were shifted to a safer location as they resided near the banks of the Chandrabhaga river in Rishikesh. The reports suggested that the water levels were rising dangerously. The floodwater entered houses, electric poles and trees fell at places, and two-wheelers were swept away after the cloudburst late Tuesday night, state disaster management officials said on Wednesday.

What caused heavy rain in Uttarakhand?

There were reports of a cloudburst on Tuesday in Dehradun, due to which heavy rain was recorded till late hours of Thursday. In the video released by the news agency ANI on Friday morning, the river can be seen swallowing the road as the Maldevta-Sahasradhara link road collapsed. This only happens when the rain increases to such an extent that the rivers start overflowing. Reports say that the security wall of the Rajiv Gandhi Stadium has also been severely damaged due to the rains. The stadium is adjacent to Sahasradhara Road. 

Similar incidents of road damage across Uttarakhand 

A major part of the Amwala-Tapovan road has been collapsed along with a few other bridges due to the rains in the city. Other reports of complete or partial road damage include Raipur, Dharampur and Dehrakhas. People complain about poor quality roads, and there are reports of the disintegration of asphalts in the potholes. The rains are set to reduce in intensity but not any time soon.

Earlier in the day, Uttarakhand CM Pushkar Singh Dhami conducted an on-site inspection of Sahastradhara-Maldevta road, which had caved in as a river submerged it following a rise in the water level of rivers along the region triggered by torrential heavy rains.

Image Credit: ANI