UTTARKASHI: Continuous rains in the Garhwal hills of Uttarakhand have sharply increased the number of danger-prone landslide zones on the Gangotri highway leading to Dharali which was hit by devastating flash floods earlier this month. Also, there has been a rise in danger zones along the highway to Yamunotri where a temporary lake had formed in the Syanachatti area near the shrine town.Officials said the Gangotri and Yamunotri routes now have “23 active danger spots”, up from 16 last year. On the Gangotri highway (NH-34), the number of vulnerable sites has risen from 10 to 15, with new slide zones reported at Dharasu, Nalupani, Naluna and Dabrani. The Yamunotri highway (NH-134) has seen a similar rise, with Kalyani and Jangalchatti added to the six pre-existing danger spots.
Disaster management officer, Uttarkashi, Shardul Gusain said that persistent rains in July-Aug have reactivated the old zones and triggered new ones, significantly heightening risks for pilgrims and motorists on these fragile stretches.
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“The 15 danger zones are located along 128km of the Gangotri NH stretch from Dharasu to Gangotri, while eight such zones were detected along 105km of the Yamunotri highway from Dharasu to Yamunotri,” Gusain added.“New landslide zones are becoming increasingly active due to heavy rains. We’ll start protective work in these zones once the rain subsides. Our priority is also to open the major roads at the earliest. Currently, the road near Yamunotri and Jangalchatti is closed, while work is ongoing in Harsil on the Gangotri route,” DM Prashant Arya told TOI.The regional meteorological centre on Wednesday forecast “heavy to very heavy rainfall” across the state till Sept 2, cautioning that “saturated slopes in the hill districts could trigger fresh landslides and road blockages”.Gangotri MLA Suresh Chauhan said that “bypass routes have been proposed, and work will start soon.” “The entire valley, including Gangotri, Harsil, Nelang and Jadung, is important from strategic and tourism points of view, and we will need to safeguard it.”Expressing concern at the situation, Uttarkashi hotel association president Shailendra Matuda said, “Gangotri and Yamunotri are prominent spots in Uttarkashi district, and peoples’ livelihoods are largely dependent on tourism and pilgrimage that happens due to these spots. Urgent work needs to be done for the safety of roads and pilgrims to these sites.”
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