Uttarakhand: The Defence Geoinformatics Research Establishment (DGRE), a laboratory of the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), today (December 29) issued an orange alert for an avalanche at an altitude of over 3,000 metres in Uttarakhand's Chamoli district over the next 24 hours. The alert is for a period of 24 hours from 5:00 pm on Sunday (December 29) to 5:00 pm on Monday (December 30).
Uttarakhand State Disaster Management Authority Joint Chief Executive Officer Mohammad Obaidullah Ansari wrote to the district magistrate of Chamoli and drew his attention to the DGRE's orange alert (level 3) for the area. He asked him to take appropriate safety and precautionary measures in view of the alert.
All officials concerned should be in alert mode, he said in a communication to the district magistrate. The areas located above 2,500 metres in Chamoli district have witnessed a spell of heavy snowfall over the past few days while the lower areas have received light to medium showers.
Snowfall, rain intensify cold in UttarakhandSnowfall in the peaks and intermittent drizzle in the lower hills as well as the plains of Uttarakhand continued on Saturday, intensifying the chill throughout the state, while the highways leading to the Himalayan temples remained closed at places. Most of the hill districts are reeling from severe cold because of continuous snowfall in the upper reaches of the mountains and intermittent light showers, coupled with cold winds sweeping the lower areas, disaster management officials here said.
The higher reaches of the hills of Auli, Harshil, Hemkund Sahib, Chopta, Dayara, Lokhandi, Sukki Top, Munsyari and Pithoragarh are blanketed with snow. The Met office has forecast heavy isolated snowfall in places located at altitudes of 2,500 metres and above across the hilly districts, including Chamoli, Uttarkashi, Rudraprayag, Dehradun, Pauri, Pithoragarah and Nainital, on Saturday.
The sky remained overcast in most places, which also received intermittent drizzle. The Badrinath national highway is closed between Pandukeshwar and Badrinath because of accumulation of snow, which is being cleared, the officials said.
The Joshimath-Niti highway connecting the border with China is also closed beyond Suraithotha while the Chamoli-Kund national highway connecting Kedarnath and Badrinath is closed between Dhotidhar and Makku Bend.
Traffic is affected due to a big tree being uprooted and blocking the road between Joshimath and Auli. The Chamoli District Disaster Management Centre said more than 65 villages were affected by snowfall.
Holiday was declared in all government, non-government schools and anganwadi centres in the Chamoli district in view of the MeT department's warning.
