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NAINITAL/DEHRADUN: As unprecedented rainfall battered Uttarakhand, drowning houses and people, precipitating floods and washing away bridges, the official death toll climbed to 40 on Tuesday, with the worst-hit district of Nainital recording at least 18 casualties.
Several people have been reported missing, sparking concerns that the actual toll is likely to be higher. Information TOI gathered from district officials suggested at least 40 deaths in the state in the past two days.
Nainital additional district magistrate Ashok Joshi said the district toll could go up to 27. “We have information of people trapped at multiple locations. Our teams have been sent but operations are difficult in this weather,” he said.
Nainital cut off, fish flood Mall Road
The lone railway track to Kathgodam station in Nainital district was washed away by the swollen waters of Gaula river on Tuesday, leaving hundreds of passengers stranded as all 12 trains on the route were cancelled. A dozen national and state highways in the district were also blocked due to landslides.
The hill town of Nainital virtually turned into a flooded island, cut off from the rest of the state for the second consecutive day as debris blocked all three routes. While the Nainital-Bhowali road was blocked on Monday afternoon, the Nainital-Haldwani road and Nainital-Kaladhungi road were also blocked for public use by the evening. Nearby towns of Bhowali, Mukteshwar and Ramgarh, too, have lost road connectivity.
District officials told TOI the railway tracks can’t be repaired until the water level of Gaula recedes. “Trains have been cancelled till October 20. Repairs will begin once the water level goes down. Several roads in the district are blocked and it’ll take hours to open them to traffic. We have asked hotel and homestay owners to provide food and relief material to stranded tourists,” said Nainital sub-divisional magistrate Prateek Jain.
Meanwhile, the water level of Naini Lake rose a foot above the danger mark on Tuesday and flooded the Mall Road, bringing along several species of fish that inhabit the lake. Tourists and residents were spotted catching fish and taking pictures. “Almost every locality in Nainital is flooded and restaurants and hotels are closed. The administration has asked us to provide food and necessities to the tourists,” said Ved Sah, a hotelier from Nainital.
Naina Devi temple and the iconic Boathouse Club were also wading in water. Officials said even though all floodgates were opened on Monday, the water level has continued to rise. Low-lying areas in Kumaon Himalayas, too, suffered damage from the rain. A bridge was washed away in Haldwani while an elephant was rescued from being swept away in the strong currents of Gaula.
PM Modi talks to Uttarakhand CM, assures of all help
PM Narendra Modi has spoken with Uttarakhand CM Pushkar Singh Dhami to take stock of the situation. The Centre has assured Uttarakhand of all required assistance to handle the situation. Later in the day, the CM announced an ex gratia of Rs 4 lakh for the kin of the victims.
“Till now we have information about 34 deaths and five people are missing. We will give Rs 4 lakh ex gratia to the next of kin of the deceased people. A compensation of Rs 1 lakh will be given to owners whose houses have suffered damage,” the chief minister said, adding that compensation for loss of cattle would also be doled out.
Several tourists were stranded at various locations around Nainital on Monday, including 100 that were stuck at a resort in Ramnagar. The premises of the resort and its parking lot were flooded after water from the swollen Kosi river entered the property. Many others who had travelled to hotels and homestays in Bhowali, Mukteshwar and Ramgarh for the long weekend were stranded with no power or network connectivity.
A tourist stuck in Bhowali along with five others said the area had no electricity for hours. “People are hoarding rations and we are not sure when we’ll be able to move out. The roads are closed and there is no information on who should be contacted for supply of essentials,” he said.
Electricity supply throughout the Kumaon region was affected with Uttarakhand Power Corporation Limited confirming that six of its sub-stations were submerged. “Our engineers are working but it is difficult,” said UPCL managing director Deepak Rawat.
The CM cancelled all his programmes for the day, including a visit to the national capital. Instead, he visited the Disaster Management Control Room. Dhami, along with DGP Ashok Kumar, later conducted an aerial survey of the rain-hit belts in Garhwal and Kumaon.
Several people have been reported missing, sparking concerns that the actual toll is likely to be higher. Information TOI gathered from district officials suggested at least 40 deaths in the state in the past two days.
Nainital additional district magistrate Ashok Joshi said the district toll could go up to 27. “We have information of people trapped at multiple locations. Our teams have been sent but operations are difficult in this weather,” he said.
Nainital cut off, fish flood Mall Road
The lone railway track to Kathgodam station in Nainital district was washed away by the swollen waters of Gaula river on Tuesday, leaving hundreds of passengers stranded as all 12 trains on the route were cancelled. A dozen national and state highways in the district were also blocked due to landslides.
The hill town of Nainital virtually turned into a flooded island, cut off from the rest of the state for the second consecutive day as debris blocked all three routes. While the Nainital-Bhowali road was blocked on Monday afternoon, the Nainital-Haldwani road and Nainital-Kaladhungi road were also blocked for public use by the evening. Nearby towns of Bhowali, Mukteshwar and Ramgarh, too, have lost road connectivity.
District officials told TOI the railway tracks can’t be repaired until the water level of Gaula recedes. “Trains have been cancelled till October 20. Repairs will begin once the water level goes down. Several roads in the district are blocked and it’ll take hours to open them to traffic. We have asked hotel and homestay owners to provide food and relief material to stranded tourists,” said Nainital sub-divisional magistrate Prateek Jain.
Meanwhile, the water level of Naini Lake rose a foot above the danger mark on Tuesday and flooded the Mall Road, bringing along several species of fish that inhabit the lake. Tourists and residents were spotted catching fish and taking pictures. “Almost every locality in Nainital is flooded and restaurants and hotels are closed. The administration has asked us to provide food and necessities to the tourists,” said Ved Sah, a hotelier from Nainital.
Naina Devi temple and the iconic Boathouse Club were also wading in water. Officials said even though all floodgates were opened on Monday, the water level has continued to rise. Low-lying areas in Kumaon Himalayas, too, suffered damage from the rain. A bridge was washed away in Haldwani while an elephant was rescued from being swept away in the strong currents of Gaula.
PM Modi talks to Uttarakhand CM, assures of all help
PM Narendra Modi has spoken with Uttarakhand CM Pushkar Singh Dhami to take stock of the situation. The Centre has assured Uttarakhand of all required assistance to handle the situation. Later in the day, the CM announced an ex gratia of Rs 4 lakh for the kin of the victims.
“Till now we have information about 34 deaths and five people are missing. We will give Rs 4 lakh ex gratia to the next of kin of the deceased people. A compensation of Rs 1 lakh will be given to owners whose houses have suffered damage,” the chief minister said, adding that compensation for loss of cattle would also be doled out.
Several tourists were stranded at various locations around Nainital on Monday, including 100 that were stuck at a resort in Ramnagar. The premises of the resort and its parking lot were flooded after water from the swollen Kosi river entered the property. Many others who had travelled to hotels and homestays in Bhowali, Mukteshwar and Ramgarh for the long weekend were stranded with no power or network connectivity.
A tourist stuck in Bhowali along with five others said the area had no electricity for hours. “People are hoarding rations and we are not sure when we’ll be able to move out. The roads are closed and there is no information on who should be contacted for supply of essentials,” he said.
Electricity supply throughout the Kumaon region was affected with Uttarakhand Power Corporation Limited confirming that six of its sub-stations were submerged. “Our engineers are working but it is difficult,” said UPCL managing director Deepak Rawat.
The CM cancelled all his programmes for the day, including a visit to the national capital. Instead, he visited the Disaster Management Control Room. Dhami, along with DGP Ashok Kumar, later conducted an aerial survey of the rain-hit belts in Garhwal and Kumaon.
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