DEHRADUN: In Uttarakhand, road connectivity has been disrupted in most parts of the state due to the outbreak of devastating monsoon rains for the last five days. The bridge over the Malan river connecting Kotdwar with Haridwar and Dehradun collapsed on Wednesday night due to strong flow of water.
The bridge over the Malan river was seen as the lifeline of Kotdwar-Bhawar. A flood-like situation was witnessed at many places in several villages of Haridwar district where relief and rescue teams evacuated several families from their homes by safe raft boats on Thursday. The Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami himself visited the flood-affected area by sitting in a raft today.
In the last five days, 19 people have died and 28 have been injured due to various reasons in rain-related disasters. The state government has ordered closure of all schools in the state till July 15.
State Disaster Relief Force (SDRF) commandant Manikant Mishra, who himself took charge of the affected areas in Laksar on Thursday, told The New Indian Express, "The entire Laksar area has been inundated due to the breach of the embankment of Sonali river in Laksar area of Haridwar district. Many people trapped in Main Bazar, Basedi Road have been evacuated with the help of rafts and taken to a safe place."
"Besides, a four-member family including a pregnant woman, an elderly couple and a 12-year-old boy were rescued from a submerged house in Pipli village and taken to a safer place with the help of rafts," Commandant Mishra said.
State Meteorological Department Director Bikram Singh said, "This weather pattern is expected to continue in the state till July 16. Since July this year, the state has received seven per cent more rainfall than normal."
According to a spokesperson of the State Disaster Operation Centre, "At present, 449 roads are closed in the state. This is the first major number of road closures this monsoon season. Due to this, people and pilgrims on pilgrimage to mountainous areas are stranded at different places." The condition of rural roads is bad. Hundreds of villages have been cut off from the district headquarters. Here, the government has advised people not to travel to the mountains in heavy rains.