The holy town of Kedarnath, located in the higher Himalayas, is witnessing extreme winter conditions, with three-to-four feet of snow covering the shrine area and temperatures dropping to as low as minus 16 degrees Celsius. The Rudraprayag district administration said incessant snowfall in the upper Himalayan regions had completely blanketed Kedarnath, the abode of 'Baba Kedar'.
In spite of the severe weather, personnel from the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) and Rudraprayag Police are braving the cold and carrying out regular patrolling around the temple premises as well as other sensitive locations. Even amid freezing temperatures and icy winds, the security forces are maintaining constant vigil in and around the shrine area and vulnerable spots.
The district administration and police have been put on alert due to the possibility of avalanches, and teams are maintaining a high level of preparedness.
In a joint statement, the Rudraprayag district administration and police said despite the difficult terrain and harsh conditions, the morale of the security personnel remained high. They added that security arrangements at Kedarnath Dham were fully in place.
In view of fresh snowfall and the risk of avalanches in high-altitude areas, the Uttarakhand State Disaster Management Authority has issued an alert for all districts. According to a forecast by the Chandigarh-based Defence Geo-Informatics Research Establishment, snowfall and avalanches are likely in several high altitude regions from 5 pm on January 27 to 5 pm on January 28.
According to the DGRE warning, Uttarkashi, Chamoli, and Rudraprayag districts have been placed in the Orange Category (Category-3). This indicates deep and unstable snow on most avalanche-prone slopes, increasing the chances of natural avalanches.
Officials said such avalanches could be of medium size and may reach valley floors. In these conditions, only limited movement on selected and safer routes is advised, while any activity on snow-covered slopes is considered highly risky.
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