Four people were killed, and at least 130 people, who were initially feared trapped or missing, have been rescued as a massive cloudburst triggered flash floods that barrelled through homes, hotels, trees, and cars in the Himalayan village of Dharali in Uttarakhand on Tuesday.
Dharali is a key stopover on the route to Gangotri, the origin of the Ganges, and is home to several hotels, restaurants, and homestays. The area was severely affected as floodwaters carrying heavy silt and debris swept through, leaving multiple structures damaged and submerged.
Officials said rescue and relief teams battled the elements in the ecologically fragile heights to contain the damage of the afternoon and locate the missing. The devastating flash flood came in the wake of a cloudburst somewhere in the catchment area of the Kheer Ganga river.
State disaster management secretary Vinod Kumar Suman said Dharali was not the only one to be hit. The raging waters flowed down two different sides of the same hill, one towards Dharali and the other towards the village of Sukki.
Videos from the area showed a torrent of muddy water and silt rushing down the slopes towards settlements along the riverbanks. People could be heard screaming in fear as the floodwaters approached.
Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami visited the State Emergency Operations Centre in Dehradun to take stock of the flash flood situation in Uttarkashi district. The Indian Army, Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP), and National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) have launched large-scale rescue and relief operations in the affected areas.
At least 50 NDRF teams have been sent from Delhi, 15 officials from Dehradun, 30 SDRF personnel from Gangotri, and another 45 from Dehradun. A total of 30 ITBP personnel have been sent. The state government has also requested aerial assistance from the Indian Air Force, seeking deployment of two MI and two Chinook helicopters to support the ongoing operations.
Tomorrow might not bring much rain relief as the India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued a heavy rain alert in Uttarakhand for Wednesday (August 6).
An orange alert for heavy rain has been issued in seven districts, including Nainital, Champawat, Udham Singh Nagar, Bageshwar, Pauri Tehri, Haridwar and Dehradun.
Given the weather department’s warning, the state government has declared a holiday for all schools from classes 1 to 12 and anganwadi centres in Almora, Pithoragarh, Chamoli, Pauri, Rudraprayag, Udham Singh Nagar, and Champawat districts.
Given the cloudburst incident in Uttarkashi, the Uttarakhand government has deployed three police and IAS officers each in Uttarkashi district with immediate effect till further orders to coordinate with the district administration in relief and rescue operations in the disaster-affected area.
Dhami held a meeting to review the rescue and relief efforts as well as assess the damage at ground zero in the disaster-struck Dharali village. He gave necessary directions, saying helicopters are also being pressed into action.
“Rescue operation is on…we have appointed three IAS officers to look after the rescue operations. PM Modi and the home minister have assured us that the Centre will provide all assistance. This is a natural disaster. At least 70 people have been rescued from Dharali. I will be visiting the disaster site tomorrow (August 6). I have requested the army to provide helicopters for the rescue mission, and am in constant touch with the rescue teams," he told News18.
The Indian Army has confirmed that nine soldiers are feared missing from a camp in the lower Harsil area.
“In the wake of the devastating mudslide at Kheer Gad, Dharali, Col Harshvardhan, Commanding Officer of 14 RAJRIF, is leading 150 personnel in critical rescue and relief operations. Despite being cut off and the unit’s base being adversely affected, the team continues to operate with unwavering determination. 20 people have been rescued so far. In the meantime, additional columns are being moved to be pressed into rescue operations," said the defence PRO.
Apart from that, the flow of the Bhagirathi River has been obstructed, causing a lake to temporarily form in Harsil. Authorities said this is a serious development and could pose further risk downstream. They said they are closely monitoring the situation.
Landslides blocked 163 roads, including five national highways, seven state highways and two border roads across the state, further impeding rescue efforts.
Uttarakhand principal secretary RK Sudhanshu said 40 to 50 buildings have been damaged. An eyewitness, Rajesh Panwar, told PTI that about 20 to 25 hotels and homestays may have been washed away.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi also expressed his condolences to those affected by the flash flood in Dharali, and added that he had spoken to Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami to take stock of the situation.
He assured that relief and rescue teams are working tirelessly under the supervision of the state government and that no stone is being left unturned to provide help to the affected people.
“Relief and rescue teams are making every possible effort under the supervision of the state government. No stone is being left unturned in providing help to the people," PM Modi added.
As soon as reports of the disaster emerged, teams from the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) reached the site. Additional units are being deployed along with personnel from the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), the Army, and the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP).
SDRF Inspector General Arun Mohan Joshi said, “Our nearest SDRF team has reached the spot. Two other units are about to reach. Rescue work is being done in a coordinated manner. The nearby NDRF, Army teams are also reaching the spot."
“Specialised equipment in our SDRF battalion headquarters, which can be used in this disaster, is also being sent… Whether it is the Army, ITBP, or NDRF, all the teams are reaching the spot, and rescue is being done in a coordinated manner," he added.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah spoke to Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami to take stock of the situation. He has directed both the ITBP and NDRF teams to reach the affected area and assist in rescue and relief efforts.
Spoke with the Chief Minister of Uttarakhand regarding the flash flood incident in Dharali (Uttarkashi) to gather information about the event. Three nearby ITBP teams have been sent there, and four NDRF teams have also been dispatched to the site, which will soon arrive and engage in rescue operations," Shah wrote in a post on X.
A 16-member ITBP team has arrived at the cloudburst site to assist in rescue operations.
Speaking to CNN-News18, Union Minister of State for Road Transport and Highways Ajay Tamta called the incident “very unfortunate" and said their first priority was to save lives.
He confirmed that rescue teams had reached the site and said the flash flood happened due to a cloudburst. Tamta added that he was in touch with the rescue teams monitoring the situation closely.
Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami expressed his sorrow over the heavy losses caused by the cloudburst in Dharali, Uttarkashi. In a post on X, he said the news was “extremely sad and painful."
He added that the SDRF, NDRF, district administration, and other teams are working on relief and rescue operations “on a war footing."
“I am constantly in touch with senior officials in this regard, and the situation is being closely monitored. I pray to God for everyone’s safety," Dhami added.
Though the Uttarakhand government is calling it a “cloudburst", the rainfall data suggests that the region did not receive the amount of rainfall required to be categorised as such. Cloudbursts are counted as among the most devastating natural disasters in the Himalayas, causing an enormous amount of rainfall across a limited area within an extremely short period.
According to the IMD, rain falling at a rate of over 100 mm an hour with strong winds and lightning across 20 to 30 sq km of area is termed a cloudburst. The Himalayas are considered vulnerable to unusual and extreme weather events, including cloudbursts, extreme precipitation, flash floods, and avalanches, the risk of all of which is said to increase as climate change intensifies.
Uttarkashi is located at about 1,160 m above sea level. Cloudburst events per unit area are “very high in Uttarakhand", compared to other regions in the Indian Himalayas, with recent events being more severe and impacting more communities. Researchers have called for concrete policies, planning and management of cloudburst events by national and global organisations.
