Uttarakhand rain eases wildfires; flash floods damage roads, houses

DEHRADUN: Several parts of Uttarakhand, particularly the Kumaon region districts that have been worst-affected by raging forest fires, experienced moderate to heavy rainfall on Wednesday.
Bikram Singh, director of the regional meteorological centre, said, “A substantial amount of rain fell in Bageshwar, Pithoragarh and Almora. We expect majority of wildfires there have been extinguished by the downpour.”
He further added that over the next couple of days, rains would intensify in other parts of the state and the remaining wildfires in Nainital, Pauri Garhwal, and Tehri Garhwal would also be doused.
Met issues yellow alert for rain and storm till Monday
While the fresh spell of downpour helped in controlling wildfires to a large extent, it led to some collateral damage as well.
In Bageshwar district of Kumaon, the sudden heavy rain led to a flash flood-like situation, causing damage to some roads. The downpour threw normal life out of gear in the Someshwar area of Almora district, too, where debris entered several houses. The Almora-Kausani highway also got blocked due to the accumulation of slush brought by sudden rainfall.
A similar situation was witnessed in Uttarkashi’s Purola region where the sudden downpour caused a flash-flood like situation in Kumola and Hudoli streams, causing the water level to rise quickly and alarming nearby residents. As a precautionary measure, the district administration temporarily halted vehicle movement over the Hudoli stream until the water receded.
Devendra Patwal, the area’s district disaster management officer, confirmed that despite the swelling of streams, there was no loss of life or property. However, locals living close to these water bodies have been warned to remain vigilant. Significantly, the met centre has issued a yellow alert of rain, thunderstorm and lightning activities across the state till May 13.
(Inputs from Abhyudaya Kotnala in Uttarkashi)