Uttarkashi: Cloudburst wreaks havoc in Dharali 1

20-25 hotels, houses and shops swept away in a flood of debris, army and agencies engaged in rescue operations

Uttarkashi. A cloudburst caused massive destruction in Dharali village of Uttarkashi district of Uttarakhand. The flood from the hill in the Kheerganga river swept away 20-25 hotels, houses and homestays. Four people have died. 70 people are reported missing.

The main market of Dharali has been completely destroyed. The famous Kalp Mandir has also been swept away in the debris.

The teams of Army, NDRF, SDRF and police-administration are engaged in relief and rescue work on a war footing. Shortly after this accident, a cloudburst also occurred at Sukhi Top, but there is no information about any damage in it yet.

PM Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah spoke to Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami and inquired about the situation and assured all possible help. According to eyewitnesses, a cloud burst over the village at around 1:50 pm on Tuesday. Within just 20 seconds, the river Kheerganga flooded.

Rescue operation difficult due to road closure uttarkashi

Uttarkashi District Magistrate Prashant Arya said that 130 people stranded in hotels and markets have been evacuated and taken to safe places. A relief camp has been set up in Harshil. Relief and rescue operations are going on at a fast pace. People are being searched in the destroyed bridges. Roads are closed due to landslides. Rescue teams are facing difficulties in reaching the spot. There are many hotels, restaurants and homestays on the way to Gharaali Gangotri Dham, which are built on the banks of the river Kheerganga, which divides Dharali into two parts.

Water and debris turned towards the main market. People were running here and there to save their lives, but before reaching a safe place, the flood destroyed everything. Many hotels, resorts, shops, houses and apple orchards were razed to the ground. There was a lot of screaming and shouting. Soon the entire market turned into a pile of rubble.

Horrifying scene uttarkashi

Everything was washed away in less than 30 seconds In your viral video, a strong current of muddy water can be seen moving from the hill towards Dharali village. Big stones and trees can also be seen flowing from the mountain. In less than 30 seconds, the flood sweeps away the buildings built on the river bank. This scene is very terrifying.

Uttarakhand disaster… Deforestation, increasing pressure of tourism has loosened the mountains, danger has increased

1.85 lakh hectares of forests have been cut in the last two years, tourism pressure has increased three times, Himalayan environment has suffered a great loss

Adverse effects of cut forests

New Delhi. In the last two decades in Uttarakhand, the reckless race of development projects and disorderly tourism growth has put the Himalayan ecosystem in serious trouble. On one hand, the deforestation of 1.85 lakh hectares i.e. 1,850 square kilometers of forests has weakened the water holding capacity and biodiversity of the mountains, on the other hand, the number of tourists has increased three times to over 5 crores, which has put unbearable pressure on the mountain areas.

Scientists say that it is necessary to strike a balance between landslides, water sources in Uttarakhand. Environmentalist Dr. Anuj Joshi warns, without striking a balance between development and environment, the disappearance of forests from the mountains in this manner is disastrous for the stability of the Himalayas. If this situation remains, the intensity of disasters will be felt in Uttarakhand up to the plains of Ganga and Yamuna.

Incidents of deforestation, glacier melting and ecological imbalance are the result of this dual pressure, the impact of which has spread to the plains of Ganga-Yamuna. According to data from the Uttarakhand Forest Department and the Union Environment Ministry, between 2005 and 2025, about 1.85 lakh hectares of forest land has been diverted for various development works. This area is larger than Delhi (1,484 sq km) and almost half of Goa (3,702 sq km). Road construction, Chardham project, Rishikesh-Karnprayag railway line, transmission lines and mining have been the main reasons for this deforestation. The total geographical area of the state is 53,483 sq km, out of which 24,305 sq km area is covered with forests, which is about 45.46%. Deforestation of 1,850 sq km in 20 years means that the state has lost 7.6% of its total forests.

53.983 The state’s geographical area is square km.

The rate of glacier melting has doubled According to the report of Wadia Institute of Himalayan Geology, due to deforestation and rise in temperature, the glaciers of the state are now retreating at an average rate of 15-20 meters per year.

Habitat areas of species like musk deer, Himalayan monal, snow leopard are vanishing, which has increased human-wildlife conflict.

Biodiversity crisis:

Water sources are drying up: The report of Nehru Institute of Mountaineering (NIM) states that 30% of the state’s natural water sources (rivulets) have either dried up or have lost their flow capacity.

Landslides and decline in water holding capacity Due to deforestation, the grip of the mountains has been loosened, due to which the incidents of landslides have increased rapidly in Uttarkashi, Rudraprayag, Tehri and Chamoli.

Environmental impact of tourism

Pressure and vibration of vehicles More than 20,000 vehicles are moving on the Chardham route every day. This is increasing micro cracks in the mountains, which are giving rise to incidents of landslides.

Pressure on water sources : The water level of water sources has fallen at hill stations like Mussoorie, Nainital. In 20 years, 30% of natural water sources have either dried up or their water flow has weakened.

Challenge of waste management : During the tourist season, 600 tonnes of waste is being generated in the state every day, most of which is being dumped in the mountainous areas. This is polluting water sources and increasing land erosion.

Increasing tourism pressure

The permanent population of Uttarakhand is 1.16 crore as per the estimate of the year 2024, while the number of tourists visiting the state has crossed 5.2 crore. In 2005, this number was 1.5 crores, which means that in 20 years this figure has more than tripled. Due to the increasing popularity of Chardham Yatra, adventure tourism and hill stations, the pressure of tourists in the mountainous areas has increased tremendously. The crowd of tourists in sensitive areas like Rishikesh, Haridwar, Mussoorie, Nainital, Kedarnath, Badrinath, Gangotri and Yamunotri is directly affecting the ecological balance of the state. According to Dr. Vipin Joshi, senior scientist of GSI, the mountains of Uttarakhand already have a weak geo-structure.