Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami announced that the state government will arrange for the treatment of the injured and provide financial assistance of Rs 5 lakh to the families of those who died and for damaged homes in disaster-affected areas.
These instructions were given as he reviewed the relief and rescue operations following the heavy rains in Chamoli district's Tharali, during a meeting at the State Emergency Operations Centre (SEOC) here on Saturday night.
During heavy rains on Friday night, debris spread over a large area due to the flood in the Toonri rain drain in Tharali, due to which a 20-year-old girl died, while another person went missing.
The body of Kavita Bisht has been recovered from a house destroyed by debris in Sangwada village, while a search is on for elderly Ganga Dutt Joshi who went missing in Chepdon, located a short distance from it.
Officials said that in view of the critical condition of six out of the nine injured, they have been sent to AIIMS Rishikesh by helicopter for better treatment, while one injured is admitted to the sub-district hospital in Karnaprayag. Two other injured were discharged after first aid.
According to information SEOC on Sunday, 150-200 people have been evacuated from the affected areas and taken to safer places.
In the incident, the Tharali Tehsil office, Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM) residence, several houses, and shops were damaged while 150 people were evacuated.
In the disaster, many houses and shops in Tharali's Tehsil office, Chepdon Bazaar, Kotdeep Bazaar and surrounding areas were filled with one to two feet of debris. The SDM residence was also damaged in the debris. Some vehicles were also buried in the debris.
A total of 41 houses have been damaged in Tharali and surrounding areas, out of which 11 were completely damaged.
Various agencies including district administration, police, district disaster management team, fire service, National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) and Indo-Tibetan Border Police are engaged in relief and rescue operations on a war footing in the affected area.
After receiving updates about the work carried out throughout the day from the state's Disaster Management Secretary Vinod Kumar Suman and Chamoli District Magistrate Dr Sandeep Tiwari, Dhami reaffirmed the government's commitment to stand firmly with the people of Tharali during this crisis, and instructed all relief and rescue teams to work with urgency.
CM Dhami conducted a ground inspection of the disaster-affected areas of Tharali and took stock of the rescue and relief operations going on there and directed to expedite them.
He inspected the arrangements at the Kulsari relief camp and met the disaster-affected people and inquired about their well-being.
The chief minister emphasised that he is constantly monitoring the rescue operation. He also announced the Rs 5 lakh relief for the damaged homes and for the kin of the deceased.
He assured that the state government would make proper arrangements for the treatment of injured individuals.
Dhami urged officials to expedite the disbursement of permissible assistance to the injured, according to disaster standards. He directed them to ensure adequate provisions for food, refreshments, milk for children, medicines, bedding, and sanitation facilities for those staying in relief camps.
The chief minister praised the administration under the leadership of the district magistrate for its "quick response", due to which rescue and relief work could start immediately.
To reduce the loss of life and property due to such disasters in the future, Dhami called for dredging (removal of sand, gravel, stones from the river bed) or channelisation in all such rivers of the state that have settlements on their banks.
He requested that districts report on how the water level of rivers has been affected due to a lack of dredging, and emphasised that dredging work should be conducted under disaster management standards.
Stating that a large amount of debris and boulders came with the water in all three disasters at Dharali, Tharali, and Syanachatti, the chief minister said that it is necessary to assess the volume of moraine (debris deposited by glaciers) in the high Himalayan regions.
For this, he directed the formation of a high-level team of scientists from research institutes like Wadia Institute of Himalayan Geology, Indian Institute of Remote Sensing (IIRS), Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), and National Remote Sensing Centre (NRSC) to conduct a study.
He also indicated that he would request the Central Government to conduct such a study across the Himalayan states to better understand the causes of these disasters and strengthen future disaster response efforts.
According to SEOC, the administration is making arrangements for accommodation and food for the people who have been taken to safe places.
The Karnaprayag-Tharali-Dewal road is blocked due to debris or road washout at 12-15 places in an area of about 10 km around Tharali. The work of removing debris with the help of JCB machines is going on to restore the route.
