News Analysis India

Tag: Uttarakhand disaster

  • Glacier burst: Dhauli Ganga water surges, rescue work at Tapovan tunnel halted

    By PTI
    TAPOVAN: The water level in the Dhauli Ganga river surged on Thursday, leading to temporary suspension of rescue work at the tunnel in Tapovan where 25-35 people are trapped for over four days since the glacier disaster.

    Security personnel at work inside the tunnel rushed out and heavy machines engaged in drilling through the debris and sludge inside were withdrawn.

    Chamoli District Magistrate Swati S Bhadauria said work has been temporarily halted as a precautionary measure. The Dhauli Ganga merges with the Alaknanda river system.

    READ|Uttarakhand glacier burst: Rambo, Deisel roped in for rescue operation

    On Sunday, a glacier burst at Joshimath in the state’s Chamoli district triggered an avalanche and a deluge in the Alaknanda river system that wreaked havoc and washed away hydroelectric stations.

    High drama in the midst of press conference in Tapovan just now, message came of water level suddenly rising again in Rishiganga river, all officials and journalists had to evacuate to higher ground @TheMornStandard @NewIndianXpress
    — Khogen Singh (@khogensingh1) February 11, 2021

    The death toll stands at 34 with multiple agencies racing against time to reach 25-35 workers trapped inside a tunnel at the power project site.

    Except Indian Army, Indo-Tibetan Border Police and a few others, Tapovan tunnel rescue site has been evacuated after warnings of rising water levles of Rishi Ganga came from Raini Village. Sirens, whistles and alarms were sounded as a warning! @NewIndianXpress @TheMornStandard pic.twitter.com/MrAba7yeIt
    — Vineet Upadhyay (@VineetTNIE) February 11, 2021

  • Uttarakhand glacier burst: Kin of missing protest at Rishiganga power project site

    By PTI
    RAINI: The families of workers missing from the Rishiganga hydel project site created a ruckus here on Wednesday accusing the authorities of not carrying out the rescue operations properly after the sudden flood in the Alaknanda river system wreaked havoc.

    The kin of around 40 missing workers engaged a heated argument with the authorities of the project for two hours, alleging lack of urgency in the rescue work.

    “It is four days since the tragedy occurred but all the focus is on restoring connectivity. Rescuing the missing people does not seem to be the priority,” alleged a man from Punjab, whose brother Jugal worked at the Rishiganga hydel project.

    “Jugal’s phone rings when his number is dialed,” he said.

    Rishiganga project manager Kamal Chauhan, who had to face the wrath of the families, said his help was not being taken by the administration to locate the missing.

    The death toll in the disaster was 32 as on Tuesday with six more bodies being recovered during the day, officials had said as multiple agencies raced against time to reach the workers trapped inside a tunnel at the power project site and 174 people remained missing.

    The missing people include those working at NTPC’s 480-MW Tapovan-Vishnugad project and the 13.

    2-MW Rishiganga Hydel Project and villagers whose homes nearby were washed away.

  • Chamoli disaster: Four men from Madhya Pradesh’s Shivpuri district missing

    By Express News Service
    BHOPAL: At least four men from Shivpuri district of Madhya Pradesh are among those missing after Sunday’s glacier burst tragedy in Uttarakhand.

    The four men have been identified as Bhanu Pratap Sikarwar, Gajendra Pavaiya (both close relatives) and two cousins, Rakesh Lodhi and Sonu Lodhi – all natives of Dhamkan village of Shivpuri district.

    According to Shivpuri district police superintendent Rajesh Singh Chandel, “All four men aged between 25 and 30 years were among the labourers hired by a metal company. They were engaged in welding works in one of the power projects, when the glacier burst triggered tragedy happened on Sunday.”

    “Their (four men) relatives, after coming to know about the Uttarakhand tragedy over TV, rang on their phones, but the cell-phones of all four men either sounded switched off or out of reach. Unable to connect with the four men, their kin contacted us. Teams of police and revenue department have been sent along with the kin of the four missing men to Uttarakhand,” Chandel added.

    ALSO READ | No stone left unturned: Officials race against time to save 37 workers trapped in Tapovan Tunnel

    Informed sources in Shivpuri district police informed The New Indian Express that the four missing men could have been in the collapsed tunnel.

    Meanwhile, the MP CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan tweeted on the matter on Tuesday. “We’re in constant touch with the Uttarakhand government for tracking the four missing men of Shivpuri district after Sunday’s tragedy in the hill state’s Chamoli district.”  

  • Uttarakhand glacier burst: 70 from UP, including 34 from Lakhimpur Kheri missing

    By PTI
    LUCKNOW: At least 70 people from Uttar Pradesh are feared missing in the glacier burst at Joshimath in Uttarakhand’s Chamoli district that triggered an avalanche and a deluge in the Alaknanda river system that washed away hydroelectric stations on Sunday, officials said.

    Of the 70 people, 34 are from Lakhimpur Kheri district alone.

    “As of now, 70 people from Uttar Pradesh are feared missing, including 34 from Lakhimpur Kheri, nine from Saharanpur and five from Shravasti,” Relief Commissioner of Uttar Pradesh Sanjay Goyal told PTI on Tuesday.

    Earlier in the day, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath sent a team of three ministers to Uttarakhand for better coordination with the state in carrying out relief works after the disaster, an official spokesperson said here.

    READ|Uttarakhand glacier disaster highlights pressure on Asia’s great rivers: Experts

    A portion of the Nanda Devi glacier possibly burst through its banks in Uttarakhand’s Chamoli district on Sunday, leading to an avalanche and a deluge that ripped through the Alaknanda river system in the upper reaches of the ecologically fragile Himalayas.

    Thirty-one bodies have been recovered so far and around 175 people are missing.

    “The chief minister has formed a committee of three ministers and sent them to Uttarakhand for better coordination with the state. The ministers are Suresh Kumar Rana, Vijay Kashyap and Dharam Singh Saini,” the spokesperson said.

    Adityanath has also constituted a team of officers led by Additional Chief Secretary, Home, Awanish Kumar Awasthi to ensure coordination in carrying out relief works, he said, adding that a control room has been established at the Relief Commissioner’s office.

    Control rooms have also been set up in districts affected by the tragedy and administration, police and irrigation department employees are deputed there.

    “We will meet Uttarakhand Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat and work will be done in coordination to cremate those who lost their lives in the tragedy,” Rana said.

  • Chamoli disaster, a nightmare for eyewitnesses

    Express News Service
    DEHRADUN: A laid back Sunday for Sandeep Nautiyal in Raini village was disrupted by the orchestra of noises and terrifying visuals of a glacier coming down.

    As the avalanche started, 5 kms from where he stayed, he joined his neighbours and rushed out shouting ‘Bhaago bhaago.’ 

    Everyone panicked and ran to alert others of the eventuality. 

    “It was a bright sunny day and suddenly we heard a mix of roaring sound and earthquake-like tremors. We looked towards the direction of the noise and saw this huge wave coming down the mountains washing away everything in its way,” said Nautiyal.  

    The village that houses more than 300 odd people, located near the Nanda Devi Biosphere Reserve, and in close proximity to the Valley of Flowers, include shepherds, farmers and workers.

    ALSO READ | Uttarakhand glacier burst: Army deploys four columns, medical teams for rescue operations

    “We are used to similar sights only in the monsoon season. In rainy season, it’s common to experience and witness landslides as water streams become alive and mountains seem more fragile than ever. This has shocked us to core,” said Shankar Rana, another resident. 

    The locals in the vicinity of the Dhauli ganga river have been moved to secure locations. Many are still in shock and apprehensive about returning to their villages any time soon. 

    Prem Butola, another resident said, “The incident has left a scar on our hearts and minds. We will not able to live in peace now. I hope the government will take measures to adress matters so that such disasters never happen.”

    ALSO READ: 10 bodies recovered, over 150 missing after glacier burst in Uttarakhand triggers flood

    Sangram Singh, another resident of Raini village who had filed a public interest litigation in Uttarakhand High court in year 2019 requesting the court to stop the use of explosives said, “We were fearing that this would happen for so long.

    I approached the court on behalf of the village residents and told the honorable court about the impending disaster. The court had directed the government to stop using explosives and take necessary steps but nothing happened. Now lives are lost and we are uprooted from our lands.”