Cloudburst in Dehradun, swollen rivers wash away bridges

A cloudburst hit a village in Dehradun in the early hours of Saturday, causing rivers to breach their banks and wash away bridges, officials said.

Water also entered the caves of Tapkeshwar, a famous Shiva temple on the banks of the Tons river, which was in spate, they said.

The cloudburst occurred around 2.15 am in Sarkhet village in the Raipur area, the officials said.

A bridge over the Song river near Thano was washed away. The Kempty Falls, a popular tourist spot near Mussoorie, was also flowing dangerously, they said.

Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami visited the affected areas near Thano and instructed officials to make alternative arrangements for restoring vehicular movement.

"The administration is fully alert. Disaster relief teams are already at work in the affected areas. The Army's help may also be taken if needed," he said.

Dhami was accompanied by Raipur MLA Umesh Sharma Kau and Garhwal commissioner Sushil Kumar.

Mussoorie MLA Ganesh Joshi and Dehradun District Magistrate Sonika also visited the affected areas to assess the damage.

An 80-year-old woman was trapped in the debris that entered a house in the Kirtinagar area of Tehri district.

Mud entered homes in over a dozen villages following the cloudburst, prompting the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) to shift the affected people to safe locations.

The affected villages include Maldevta, Bhutsi, Tauliyakatal, Thatyud, Lavarkha, Ringalgadh, Dhuttu, Ragad Gaon and Sarkhet, according to the officials.

The affected residents have been shifted to schools and panchayat buildings, said Sub-Divisional Magistrate, Dhanolti, Lakshmi Raj Chauhan.

The Raipur-Kumalda motor road has been blocked due to debris at a number of places, he said.

The Rishikesh-Badrinath highway is blocked at Totaghati, the Rishikesh-Gangotri highway is blocked at Nagni, and the Narendranagar-Ranipokhri motor road is blocked at several points, Chauhan said.