“Haridwar, Nainital, and Udham Singh Nagar are expected to receive extremely heavy rainfall,” said Rohit Thapliyal, a senior scientist at the Meteorological Centre. “Dehradun, Pauri, Tehri, Bageshwar, and Champawat are also under an Orange Alert for heavy rain. The intensity of rainfall could further increase on Wednesday and Thursday,” he said. The continuous rain has already caused maximum temperatures across most parts of the state to plummet by five to six degrees Celsius below normal. The suspension of the Kedarnath Yatra applies from Tuesday till Thursday. On Monday, pilgrims were barred from proceeding to Kedarnath from Sonprayag due to the heavy rainfall. Travel routes have been severely impacted, with the Gaurikund highway beyond Rudraprayag remaining blocked for five hours, while the Kedarnath Jawadi bypass was also obstructed for the second consecutive day. Meanwhile, Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami convened a high-level meeting on Monday to review disaster management and safety measures across the state. The Chief Minister directed officials to immediately identify sensitive locations prone to landslides, avalanches, and other natural calamities in the hilly regions.”It is crucial to take precautions before potential dangers arise,” Dhami emphasised. He issued clear instructions that no new settlements or construction activities would be permitted in these identified risk-prone areas.
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