PIONEER NEWS SERVICE/Pithoragarh
A cloudburst and heavy rainfall late on Tuesday near Teejam village of Pithoragarh’s Dharchula led to a sudden rise in the water level of the Nehal stream, causing significant destruction. According to officials, more than 50 families have been affected by the incident.
They informed that floodwaters swept away a 36 metres long motor bridge constructed under Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY) at a cost of Rs 2.13 crore as well as a wooden bridge maintained by the Public Works Department that connected Teejam and Vatan Tok. The collapse of these bridges has completely disrupted movement in the area.
Residents of the area reportedly spent the night outside their homes, many taking shelter at a local school and a post of the Gorkha Regiment, fearing further danger. Villagers Anil Bisht and Laxmi Gwal said that they left their homes along with several others when the water level of the stream began to rise rapidly late at night.
The destroyed motor bridge, weighing around 47 tonnes and the wooden bridge have been swept downstream. Residents said that the bridge remains nearly a kilometre away and no base now remains at the site for reconstruction. Many villages on the far side of the river have lost all contact with the tehsil headquarters. They claimed that due to the damage, immediate relief and rescue efforts are required. They have requested helicopter assistance from the administration if necessary. Teejam is located around 40 kilometres from Dharchula tehsil and approximately 150 kilometres from Pithoragarh district headquarters. Multiple routes to the area are blocked, as per the sources.
The village has also lost electricity supply after power poles were washed away. The sub divisional magistrate Jitendra Verma said that the district administration received information about the incident and a team from the revenue department was sent to assess the damage. The PMGSY executive engineer Kishan Singh stated that an inspection team will inspect the incident site to take further action accordingly.
