Heavy rain in Uttarakhand has affected movement along the Kedarnath pilgrimage route. The rainfall has also led to a sharp increase in the water level of the Sharda River. Authorities have issued warnings, cleared blocked roads and stepped up preparations to deal with possible emergencies.
In Rudraprayag district, Superintendent of Police Niharika Tomar said the IMD had issued an orange alert for the Kedarnath pilgrimage area. Heavy rain overnight blocked roads at several points, including Sirobagad, Banswara and Mungatiya.
Tomar said disaster management teams, police personnel and district officials responded quickly after receiving reports of the blockages. The affected road stretches were cleared and traffic was allowed to resume.
She said authorities were regularly sharing weather and safety advisories with pilgrims and travellers. In view of the rain, people have been asked to stay in safe places and travel only when weather conditions improve and roads are reopened.
In Champawat district's Banbasa area, the Irrigation Department issued a red alert for the Sharda Barrage near the India-Nepal border. The warning came after the river level rose sharply due to continuous heavy rain in the Kumaon region.
As a precaution, authorities restricted movement in the border area and stopped vehicles from crossing the Sharda Barrage.
Assistant Engineer Prashant Kumar said over one lakh cusecs of water had been released from the Banbasa Sharda Barrage after heavy rainfall in the hills.
Kumar said a four-day red alert for rain in the hill areas was in force, raising the possibility of further increases in water levels. He said downstream districts were being informed whenever water was released and that officials and engineers were on alert to handle any emergency.
Authorities have urged residents, pilgrims and travellers to follow official warnings and stay away from vulnerable areas until weather conditions improve.
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