Uttarakhand: Heavy rain damages bridge, closes 83 roads; flood alert issued
Mussoorie: Heavy rain lashed Uttarakhand over the past 24 hours, damaging part of the Hanuman Chatti bridge on the Badrinath Highway and triggering landslides that closed at least 83 roads on Sunday.
A flood alert was also issued after the Vishnuprayag barrage released 70 cumecs of water into the Alaknanda river in Haridwar.
The abutment and safety wall on both sides of the Hanuman Chatti bridge were washed away following heavy downpours in the upper reaches, including areas near the Valley of Flowers. Pilgrims en route to Badrinath are being asked to cross the bridge on foot.
“The general reserve engineer force inspected the damage and, as a precaution, heavy vehicles were barred. Only light vehicles up to 9 tonnes are being allowed, and police teams have been deployed for safety,” Joshimath sub-divisional magistrate (SDM) C.S. Vashisht said.
Meanwhile, Haridwar district magistrate Mayur Dixit has advised people to avoid riverbanks and bathe only in designated areas. “Disaster management teams remain on high alert. Senior superintendent of police (SSP) Pramendra Dobhal and the DM jointly inspected Har Ki Pauri, reviewing security, sanitation, and crowd control measures,” Dixit said.
The total water flow surged from 112 to 182 cumecs, prompting warnings for downstream areas. As of 2 pm Sunday, the Ganga’s water level at Bhimgoda barrage stood at 291.95 metres-below the warning level of 293 meters. Water inflow was 96,954 cusecs, with an outflow of 87,883 cusecs.
The 83 roads closed due to landslides include 24 under the public works department (PWD) and 52 under the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY) and rural works department. Pithoragarh was worst affected with 25 road closures, including three national highways.
In a separate incident, four people were injured after a pickup truck fell into the Yamuna river near Nainbagh on Sunday.
Authorities said that traffic on the Gangotri Highway (NH-108) in Uttarkashi will be controlled till August 5 due to debris removal work underway on the adjacent Kujjan-Tihar rural road. “Authorities have announced specific time slots for vehicular movement to prevent accidents,” an official said.
The state received an average of 9.6 mm of rainfall in the 24 hours till 8:30 am on Sunday, with Haridwar recording the highest at 26.5 mm (96% above normal). Bageshwar saw a 183% surplus, while Tehri and Almora experienced significant shortfalls.
The Kedarnath Yatra, however, continued with security teams assisting pilgrims near Gaurikund.
The IMD has issued an orange alert for Monday in Nainital, Champawat, and Bageshwar, with further heavy rains likely in parts of Kumaon and Garhwal till Wednesday.
