SURENDRA PAL SINGH | Uttarkashi
Relief and rescue operations continue after the flash flood of August 5 in Dharali and Harsil areas of Bhatwadi tehsil, Uttarkashi district. According to the Uttarkashi district emergency operation centre, two bodies have been recovered while 67 people remain missing, including army personnel and civilians from Tehri, Rajasthan, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and Nepal.
According to the officials, the Gangotri National Highway has been restored up to Harsil, though debris and silt had affected stretches near Telgad, Dharali and Dabrani. Temporary passages were created by workers and machinery from the Public Works Department (PWD), Border Roads Organisation (BRO) and Irrigation department.
They also informed that during clearance work near Dabrani, an excavator fell into the river and its operator is still missing. Communication between Bhatwadi and Gangotri was disrupted after a fibre line was damaged and efforts are underway to restore it. They stated that between August 7 and 27, helicopters conducted more than 548 sorties to deliver relief material to affected areas. Guest houses and hotels of the Garhwal Mandal Vikas Nigam have also been reserved for emergency use.
A total of 12 doctors and 36 health workers have been deployed at Gangotri, Harsil, Bhatwari, Matli, Chinyalisaur and Dabrani. According to officials on duty, relief distribution is being carried out as per the needs of affected families, while the search and rescue operations continue under the joint supervision of the Army, NDRF, SDRF and district administration teams.
