Cloudburst ruins Uttarakhand lives

With incessant rain continuing in different parts of the Kumaon division since   Monday night, a 22-year-old youth died at Khola village in Almora’s Chaukhutiya Tehsil  on Monday night due to cloudburst.

Over two dozen cattle including 22 goats, two buffaloes and one cow were also killed in this devastating cloudburst. The body of the deceased was recovered eight km away from the incident site, informed the officials concerned of the Almora district administration. The deceased has been identified as Jaipal Singh, a resident of the Khola village in Amora’s Chaukhutiya tehsil, added the officials concerned of the Almora district administration. 

Apart from loss of lives of human being and animals, three bridges on the roads connecting the said village have also been damaged in this cloudburst. Thus road connectivity to this village has been completely collapsed, the officials concerned further said. Besides, a 150 meter long stretch of an under construction road has also been washed away in this devastating rainfall, added  the officials concerned. 

Apart from that , as the officials concerned of the Almora district administration informed, drinking water supply and other sources of water have also been destroyed in this cloudburst. Following affected road connectivity to this Khola village, it has become quite difficult for the officials concerned to launch relief operation in the disaster hit areas. 

Though the officials have been deployed to provide prompt relief to the affected people, poor road connectivity coupled with incessant rain has badly hampered the relief operation, they added. At the same time the Almora district administration has decided to take the affected people to safer places. Meanwhile, Akshyat Gupta, District Magistrate, Almora, has said that the top priority of the administration is to provide immediate relief to the victims. 

He has also said that the officials concerned had been asked to identify the affected people so that they could be rehabilitated to safer places. Besides, efforts are also on to provide essential commodities to the affected areas as early as possible, added Gupta. Though there was no any major untoward incident reported from any parts of the region, mobility remained badly affected on account of poor conditions of roads including the Haldwani-Almora National highway here today.

Though the aforesaid National highway was opened for medium mode vehicles from Monday, if it rains continuously it won’t be possible for the officials concerned to open this road for the heavy vehicles in next two or three days as earlier it was expected.