Uttarakhand: Maldevta Sahastradhara Link Road merges with river due to heavy rains

Due to the heavy rains in the capital of Uttarakhand for the last three days, many roads have got damaged. A recent video from Dehradun has gone viral on social media, in which the river's edge is seen to be approaching the Sahasradhara Link Road. The incident has created panic among the houses and settlements along the road.

As the incessant rains continued in the Sahasradhara region, the water level of the rivers began to increase and that has damaged infrastructure in many parts of the city. The issue did not just remain on the roads; the problem of 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.

What caused the 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. According to various reports, 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 

In similar incidents, a major part of the Amwala-Tapovan road has 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 have complained about the poor quality of these roads and there were reports of the disintegration of asphalts in the potholes. The rains are set to reduce in intensity but not any time soon. 

The weather department has issued a warning, forecasting heavy rain in the state. According to the meteorological department, heavy rain may occur over Nainital, Champawat, Udham Singh Nagar, Bageshwar and Pithoragarh.

(With ANI inputs)