Heavy rain triggers landslides in Uttarakhand; schools in Haridwar closed Saturday

Heavy rainfall continued across Uttarakhand on Friday, triggering landslides and disrupting road connectivity. Several highways remained open, while crews cleared blocked routes. Haridwar schools and Anganwadi centres will remain closed Saturday as the weather office issued a Yellow Alert

Dehradun: Heavy rainfall continued across several parts of Uttarakhand on Friday, triggering landslides and disrupting road connectivity in multiple locations. According to an official report, most national highways in the state, including the Badrinath-Rishikesh route, remained open for traffic.

A report from the State Emergency Operation Centre (SEOC) indicated that landslides have affected traffic on several routes, including the Pauri-Devprayag and Gopeshwar-Chopta roads. In view of the heavy rain warning, Haridwar District Magistrate Mayur Dixit has issued orders to keep all schools and Anganwadi centres in the district closed on September 5.

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Continuous operations using JCB machines are underway to clear the blocked routes. Water levels in the state’s major rivers have also risen due to the rainfall. Most rivers, including the Alaknanda, Mandakini, and Ganga, are flowing about one to two metres below the danger mark at several locations.

Meanwhile, the Dehradun Meteorological Centre has issued a ‘Yellow Alert’ for Saturday, forecasting heavy rain in several parts of Uttarakhand. According to the department, heavy rainfall is likely in isolated areas across the districts of Uttarkashi, Dehradun, Haridwar, Pauri, Nainital, Champawat, Bageshwar, and Udham Singh Nagar.

The Meteorological Centre has predicted thunderstorms, lightning strikes, and rainfall ranging from heavy to very heavy in some areas across all districts of the state. A holiday has been declared for recognised private schools and Anganwadi centres on Saturday, September 5.