Orange alert for heavy rain in Uttarakhand; Badrinath, Kedarnath routes briefly hit by landslides
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued an orange alert for parts of Uttarakhand, warning of heavy to very heavy rainfall in Nainital and Bageshwar districts on Friday as monsoon activity intensifies across the hill state.
The weather warning comes as landslides triggered by continuous rain briefly disrupted traffic on the Badrinath National Highway and the Kedarnath pilgrimage route, before authorities cleared the debris and restored movement.
The southwest monsoon reached Uttarakhand on June 30 and became active across the state by Wednesday. According to the Meteorological Centre in Dehradun, light to moderate rainfall was recorded in several districts on Thursday.
Among the highest rainfall totals were Khanpur (41.5 mm), Laksar (33 mm), Roorkee (21 mm), Thalisain (19 mm), Ranikhet (18 mm), Champawat (15 mm) and Mussoorie (12.3 mm).
Maximum temperatures remained near normal in the plains, while hill regions experienced cooler-than-usual conditions. Dehradun recorded a maximum temperature of 30.4 degrees Celsius, one degree above normal, while Mukteshwar and New Tehri registered 24.5 degrees Celsius and 20.1 degrees Celsius, respectively.
Yellow alert for six districts
Besides the orange alert for Nainital and Bageshwar, the IMD has issued a yellow alert for parts of Dehradun, Tehri, Pauri, Uttarkashi, Rudraprayag and Chamoli, where heavy rainfall is expected.
In response to the forecast, the State Emergency Operation Centre (SEOC) has directed district administrations to remain on alert and take all necessary precautionary measures to deal with any rain-related emergencies.
Pilgrimage routes reopened after debris clearance
Heavy rainfall triggered rockfall in the Munkatia area of Rudraprayag district, temporarily blocking the Kedarnath pilgrimage route and halting the movement of vehicles and pilgrims. Rudraprayag District Disaster Management Officer Nandan Singh Rajwar said the route was reopened after teams removed debris and large boulders using JCB machines.
In Chamoli district, a landslide near Gulabkoti village, between Chamoli and Joshimath, blocked the Badrinath National Highway, causing long traffic queues of pilgrims travelling to Badrinath and Hemkund Sahib, along with local commuters.
Officials said personnel from the National Highways and Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited (NHIDCL) cleared the debris within a few hours, restoring normal traffic movement on the highway.
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