Uttarakhand Flash Floods: Water Being Discharged From Newly Formed Lake Making It No Longer Dangerous

After increasing fears on possibility of another flood due to formation of a new lake near the Raini village in Joshimath of Uttarakhand, on Saturday (13 February) the state’s Director General of Police (DGP) Ashok Kumar said that water was being continuously discharged from the lake making it no longer dangerous, reports Hindustan Times.

A team of the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) visited the area near Raini village at a height of 4,200 meters.

“Yesterday, the SDRF team visited the lake that has been formed near Raini village at a height of 4,200 meters. Water is being continuously discharged from the lake, it’s not in the danger zone. The team also found a place to construct a helipad near Raini,” DGP Ashok Kumar said.

“Progress is being made on all fronts. Connectivity has resumed. BRO also working on the Bailey bridge. There are SDRF and ITBP relief camps. The district administration also takes care of people’s needs. The search operation for missing persons is on,” Kumar added.

A portion of the Nanda Devi glacier broke off in Uttarakhand’s Chamoli district on 07 February, triggering an avalanche and deluge in the Alakananda river system. The sudden flood in the middle of the day in the Dhauli Ganga, Rishi Ganga and Alakananda rivers, all intricately linked tributaries of the Ganga, triggered widespread panic and large-scale devastation in the high mountain areas.

The flash floods had washed away a bridge on Joshimath-Malari road disconnecting more than 13 border villages in Chamoli district.

The Border Roads Organisation (BRO) is working round the clock to re-establish connectivity at the earliest by launching a bailey bridge of 200 feet.