Uttarakhand : On Monday, heavy rainfall in Chamoli district, Uttarakhand, resulted in a 70-meter stretch of the National Highway near Gauchar town being severely damaged, leading to traffic disruption. Concerned departments swiftly dispatched officials to restore the road and resume traffic flow. The route to Badrinath Dham has been blocked for the next two to three days, leaving commuters and vehicles stranded.
Chamoli District Magistrate, Himanshu Khurana, reported that a 70 to 100-meter stretch on the Badrinath Highway in Kameda had collapsed, further exacerbating the situation. Long queues of vehicles were stuck on either side of the damaged road. Authorities, including Sub-divisional Magistrate and other officials, were deployed to assess the extent of the damage.
Moreover, Badrinath Highway has been closed at multiple locations in Chamoli district due to the heavy rains from the previous night. Tragically, five vehicles parked by the roadside were buried under debris when a portion of the road collapsed in the Bhatnagar area.
In addition to Gauchar, other regions in Uttarakhand were also grappling with the consequences of the incessant rainfall. Debris from the hillside blocked the Badrinath Highway near Uma Maheshwar Ashram in Karnprayag. The Yamunotri pilgrimage was suspended, and traffic halted as boulders continued to fall at various points along the Yamunotri Highway for the past three days in Uttarkashi district.
The Uttarkashi district disaster management official, Devendra Patwal, mentioned that the continuous boulder falls led to a complete standstill of traffic on both sides of the road.
Authorities are working tirelessly to address the damage and ensure public safety amidst the persistent rainfall and its adverse impacts on transportation in Uttarakhand.
