Rains abate in Uttarakhand, over 50 dead

DEHRADUN - Rains abated Monday bringing respite to tens of thousands in Uttarakhand where heavy downpour Saturday and Sunday sparked landslides and flash floods leaving over 50 people dead in two days.

Over a dozen people were still reported missing while the overall death toll on account of natural calamities including lightning since the start of monsoon touched the 200 figure.

The army was called out in parts of Almora and Haridwar districts, the worst hit areas as floods cut off highways. Train services to Dehradun and Haridwar were delayed for hours on account of inundated rail tracks.

In Almora alone, landslides and floods killed 26 people Sunday. Nine were reported missing and presumed dead.

Chief Secretary Subhash Kumar said there was great relief since the rains abated midnight Sunday.

“The absence of rains was a big relief for the people as each of the otherwise swollen rivers are now flowing below the warning level,” Kumar said.

Some rivers are, however, still flowing marginally above or just below the danger level.

He denied that the Tehri dam was threatened.

“There is no threat whatsoever to the dam though the water level is close to the danger mark of 830 metres.

“There is no doubt the Ganga, Kosi, Gola and Sarda rivers are still flowing above the danger mark but things are well under control,” he said.

Of the nearly 80,000 population hit by rains and floods, as many as 50,000 were affected over the past 24 hours.

“We have evacuated about 20,000 people to 60 relief camps spread across the affected districts,” said a spokesman for the Disaster Management cell in the state capital here.

He said: “Of the 356 houses devastated on account of rain and floods, 50 were destroyed over the past 24 hours.”