Incessant rainfall in Dehradun — over 30 mm by the evening — has disrupted normal life on Thursday with several areas in the city getting waterlogged, resulting in inconvenience particularly for the commuters. Various parts of the State received heavy rainfall too on Thursday. Things sound grim as the Meteorological Centre has forecast heavy rainfall at many places, especially Char Dham Yatra routes, on Friday.
Residents faced inconvenience as several roads disappeared under water especially round ISBT, Patelnagar, Raipur Road and other places in the city. The condition of the school children negotiating the waterlogged roads while they were on their back home was the most pathetic. Rains started when it was the time for the students to return home.
Vehicles remaining stuck bumper to bumper added to the sufferings of the little ones. City buses proved elusive. Some students were seen getting drenched in rain with umbrellas proving inadequate to protect them from the pelting drops of rain. The traffic congestion at ISBT was perhaps the worst in the city on Thursday. Policemen turned invisible as happens during inclement weather.
Drains being clogged and overflowing and rain water getting into houses further compounded the woes of the denizens of the state capital.
Roads being slippery, the people driving cars or two-wheelers faced problems. Commuters remained stranded on several intersections for around an hour in traffic jams in the city.
The picture of the low- lying areas in the State capital was the same. People sounded angry over the district administration being unprepared to take on the rains during the monsoon. “We have been facing the same ordeal during this time every year. They must act or we would make them act,” said Anil Negi, an angry local from Patelnagar.
Uttarakhand Meteorological Centre has forecast light to moderate rain/thunderstorm at most places in the state on Friday. Rather heavy rain would occur at a few places with heavy rain being forecast for Uttarkashi, Chamoli, Rudraprayag, Nainital, Almora and Pithoragarh districts of Uttarakhand.
Some roads in the mountainous parts of the Dehradun district and other parts of the state were blocked due to the landslide, caused by heavy rainfall. In Tehri district, due to landslide, Dogi-gular road was blocked. However, road was cleared for traffic movement by around 3 pm on Thursday.
Dehradun received 12.4 mm rainfall by 8. 30 am on Thursday, taking the past 24 hours. Director of State Meteorological Centre, Anand Sharma said that few spells of rain/ thunder showers would occur on Thursday and one or two of them may be moderate in some areas on Friday. The maximum and minimum temperatures are likely to be around 28 degree Celsius and 24 degree Celsius respectively on Friday in Dehradun.