landslides blocking the Badrinath highway and many other routes as well, a Red Alert for severe rainfall, Uttarakhand cancels the Char Dham Yatra

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) issued a red alert on July 7 regarding the probability of heavy to severe rains in the state, which led to the cancellation of the Char Dham Yatra for today. Vinay Shankar Pandey, the commissioner of Garhwal, postponed the trip due to safety concerns. It is advised that pilgrims do not commence their yatra beyond Rishikesh on July 7, as there is a possibility of heavy rains in Garhwal on July 7-8. Those who had already left had been waiting for the weather to clear.

The Badrinath highway has been repeatedly blocked by landslides caused by heavy rains. On July 6, while returning from Badrinath, two pilgrims from Hyderabad perished in a landslide near Chatwapeepal in the Chamoli district. The Alaknanda river, which meets the Dhauli Ganga at Vishnu Prayag, close to Joshimath, is swollen and getting close to its danger mark.

A bridge collapsed in Ramnagar earlier today due to heavy rainfall. A temporary bridge collapsed on July 5 on the Gomukh route, around 8 to 9 km ahead of Gangotri, sweeping away at least two pilgrims and leaving several others stuck in Devgad.

District magistrates in the impacted districts have been told to maintain a high state of alertness by Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami. The CM has also advised people to stay indoors due to the possibility of disasters caused by heavy rain.

For the next two days, Uttarakhand is expected to see “heavy to very heavy” rainfall, according to the IMD. For severe rain in Nainital, Bageshwar, Champawat, Almora, Pithoragarh, and Udham Singh Nagar, a red alert has been issued. Dehradun, Haridwar, Tehri, and Pauri districts are under an orange alert, while Uttarkashi, Chamoli, and Rudraprayag districts are under a yellow alert.