Uttarakhand: River Pranmati swells in Chamoli; waterlogging in Dehradun’s Kaluwala

Chamoli (Uttarakhand) [India], August 18 : Water level in Pranmati river in Chamoli district of Uttarakhand has increased to a great extent following incessant rainfall in the state, which has been witnessed massive flooding and landslides.
Authorities have alerted the locals in the area to ensure the safety and well-being of the residents, officials said on Friday.
According to Chamoli District Magistrate Himanshu Khurana, River Pranmati has swollen due to heavy downpours.
The district magistrate said that no damage has been reported from the area and that locals were alerted about the rise in the river beforehand to ensure their safety.
"There has been no cloudburst in Chamoli's Tharali, but the water in the Pranmati River has increased to a great extent. The administration had already issued an alert in the area, so there is no information about any kind of damage," District Magistrate Khurana said.
Meanwhile, excessive water entered into houses in Kaluwala in Dehradun due to the heavy rainfall.
SDRF personnel immediately reached the spot and are engaged in efforts to help the affected locals and carried out rescue operations on Thursday night.
Due to rain-triggered landslides, the road between Maithana and Pursadi on the Badrinath National Highway sank, as per Chamoli Police. Authorities have restricted vehicular movements at Ram Jhula bridge in Rishikesh after a supportive wire broke following heavy rainfall.
According to the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), a person was found dead after a house collapsed in Helang village on the Badrinath highway between Pipalkoti and Joshimath in Chamoli district on Tuesday evening.
Kotwali Joshimath informed the SDRF that a two-storey house built near a crusher unit on the banks of the Alaknanda River had collapsed and that some locals were feared trapped under the debris.
The SDRF team reached the spot to find four people buried under the debris of the collapsed house.
Subsequently, the SDRF team rescued three people and rushed them to a nearby hospital while another died on the spot.
According to official estimates, 52 people died due to rain-related incidents in the state this monsoon season while another 37 sustained injuries.
On the instructions of Chief Minister Pushkar Dhami, SDRF and NDRF personnel were deployed in places badly affected by rain-related incidents.
Heavy rains in the state this monsoon have triggered landslides and flash floods in several places.
The India Meteorology Department has predicted light to moderate, scattered to fairly widespread rainfall, thunderstorm and lightning with isolated heavy rainfall over Uttarakhand, East Uttar Pradesh from August 17- August 23.