Char Dham Yatra suspended in Uttarakhand; 'red' alert issued as rains wreak havoc

Chardham Yatra has been suspended for two days due to heavy rains in Uttarakhand.In a notice, Uttarakhand State Disaster Management Authority (USDMA) said, "Char Dham Yatra has been suspended temporarily on 14 and 15 August, 2023, after the weather department has issued 'red alert' for several districts in the state.""The yatra has been suspended to avoid any untoward incidents and for the safety of pilgrims," the USDMA said.Uttarakhand has been lashed by incessant rainfall. The state has been witnessing extremely heavy rain and thunderstorm accompanied by lightning and very intense to extremely intense spell is very likely to occur at isolated places in Dehradun, Pauri, Tehri, Nainital, Champawat and Udham Singh Nagar.Water level of river Ganga risesThe water level of river Ganga in Uttarakhand's Rishikesh has also increased due to heavy rainfall in the region.Rivers including Ganga, Mandakini and Alaknanda are flowing above the danger mark in Rudraprayag, Devprayag and Shrinagar.Also, landslides triggered by heavy rain have blocked several roads and national highways, leaving several tourists stranded.Earlier on Monday, Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami took stock of the situation over the phone from the District Magistrates as heavy rains lash parts of the state.Meanwhile, rescue operations in the areas affected in the state due to heavy rains since Sunday is being led by Manikant Mishra, Commandant SDRF.The Uttarakhand SDRF rescued six people including a pregnant woman from a house that was submerged due to the overflowing Song river in the Raiwala area of ​​the Dehradun district.The pregnant woman was shifted to a local hospital.With inputs from agencies