Thursday, 04 JULY 2024 | PNS | DEHRADUN/PITHORAGARH
A massive landslide occurred near Tanakpur -Tawaghat National Highway near Dharchula in Pithoragarh district on Wednesday morning. The landslide occurred around 8:30 AM on Tanakpur -Tawaghat road near Rauti bridge which is 16 kilometres from Dharchula. A huge boulder broke from the hill and fell into the Kali river. The officials said that the incident happened due to incessant rainfall in the area since Tuesday due to which, the highway was blocked by huge amount of boulders and debris. This affected the connectivity of Darma, Vyas and Chaudas valleys with the Tehsil headquarters. The officials also informed that the Kali river was already in spate due to heavy rainfall since past two days and when the big boulder fell into it, it led to the sudden rise in the water level. The incident caused panic among the people around and many ran to safe places. The officials said that the suspension bridge over the river narrowly escaped the damage when the boulder fell or it could have caused problems for the locals. They said that there is Khati village of Nepal in front of the State’s Rauti Bridge across the Kali River. There was also a massive landslide on Tuesday. The personnel of Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) conduct regular patrolling of the area as it is close to the Nepal border. The SSB head constable Ravi Shankar said that a huge boulder broke and fell in the middle of the Kali river. Shankar also made a video of the boulder falling into the river that also went viral in social media. The authorities reported no casualty in the incident. The administration was trying to unblock the highway till late evening.
Meanwhile rain triggered landslides also affected traffic in other districts as well. Badrinath national highway remained blocked for several hours in Peepalkoti after boulders and debris fell on the road due to rain in the morning. The traffic resumed in the afternoon. A boulder also fell into Chamoli- Gopeshwar road that caused a traffic jam in the area. It was soon removed by the police. The Yamunotri national highway near Dabarkot in Uttarkashi was also blocked for several hours. The traffic resumed after the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) cleared the path, the officials said. The police also installed blinker lights and convex mirrors in accident prone areas and sharp turns near Yamunotri NH to minimise accident risks during monsoon.
