Uttarakhand: Major cloud burst floods Uttarkashi's Dharali village; chilling visuals of Kheer Ganga goes viral

Mint

5 days ago

Uttarakhand News: A powerful cloudburst struck Dharali near Harsil in Uttarakhand's Uttarkashi district on Tuesday, 5 August, causing widespread devastation. District Magistrate Prashant Arya confirmed the incident, as dramatic visuals showed raging floodwaters tearing through the village — sweeping away homes, shops, and roads, and leaving behind a trail of debris and sludge. At least four people are feared dead in the the flash floods.
This sudden and intense rainfall led to a flash flood in the Kheer Ganga River.
The cloudburst took place in the catchment area of the Kheer Ganga river, leading to the devastating floods, locals said.
About 10-12 people could be buried under the debris, Rajesh Panwar, a villager, told PTI. He said 20-25 hotels and homestays may have been washed away.
In addition, in Banala Patti area of Barkot tehsil, nearly 18 goats were swept away in the overflowing Kud Gadhera stream.
According to PTI information, 20-25 people are feared buried in the cloud burst-induced flashfloods in the Dharali village.
On the Uttarkashi cloudburst incident, Uttarakhand CM Pushkar Singh Dhami who is an Andhra Pradesh, said, "I have been informed about a cloudburst incident in Dharali of Uttarkashi... We are working to rescue the people. Officials from the District administration, the Indian Army, NDRF, SDRF are trying to rescue people and save them..."
The forces of the Indian Army, the State Disaster Response Force, and the National Disaster Response Force, along with other rescue teams, are on their way to the spot. The region is situated 10 kilometres away from the popular tourist site, Harshil.
How Dharali village looks after a could burst flooded the village, killing at least 4 people.
The Meteorological Department has issued a warning for continued heavy rainfall across Uttarakhand until 10 August, with particularly intense downpours expected in the hilly regions.
Visuals showed a massive debris slide, encroaching into the town, taking with it structures. More than 20 hotels and homestays run out of the area.
Uttarkashi Police informed, 'In Uttarkashi, due to the rising water level of Kheer Gadh in the Harsil area, reports of damage in Dharali have prompted police, SDRF, army, and other disaster response teams to engage in relief and rescue operations at the site.'
Rescue teams from the State and National Disaster Response Forces were quickly deployed but faced challenges due to blocked roads and disrupted connectivity to nearby pilgrimage sites, including Gangotri Dham.
A cloud burst, defined as an extremely heavy localised rainstorm dropping more than 10cm of rain within a very short time over a small area, is particularly common in mountainous regions like Uttarakhand. This phenomenon occurs when warm air currents cause raindrops to remain suspended in clouds until they suddenly fall in a torrent, often accompanied by hail and thunder.
The Himalayan terrain exacerbates the effects due to steep slopes and fragile soil conditions, leading to flash floods and landslides.
In Dharali, the cloud burst triggered such landslides, with the heavy water flow washing away large amounts of soil and debris into the village and causing significant flooding.
Cloudbursts occur because the warm air current from the ground or below the clouds rushes up and carries the falling raindrops up with it.
The rain fails to fall down in a steady shower. This results in excessive condensation in the clouds as new drops form and old drops are pushed back into it by the updraft. Then one of them gives in. The air current slows down or the clouds can't hold.
The resulting violent downpour can dump as much as 70,000 tonnes of water over an acre of land.
In India, a cloudburst mostly occurs in the mountains of India where the low monsoon clouds are stopped by the high mountains. But it may happen elsewhere.