2 Pregnant Women Rescued From Disaster-Hit Dharali, Relief Efforts Intensify
Two pregnant women were airlifted from the disaster-affected Dharali village in Uttarakhand's Uttarkashi on Tuesday and are now receiving medical attention at the district hospital.
The women, accompanied by two toddlers, were first flown by helicopter from Sukhi Top to the ITBP camp before being transported to the hospital via ambulance.
Following a day's suspension due to heavy rainfall on Monday, helicopter operations resumed on Tuesday, enabling the delivery of essential relief and medical supplies to Dharali.
Evacuation efforts also continued, with residents from the affected regions of Harsil and Dharali being flown to Matli. Relief materials are being sent continuously to these areas via air.
Multiple agencies, including the Indian Army, NDRF, SDRF, police, and other rescue units, are working tirelessly to carry out search and relief operations.
Adding to the efforts, the SDRF's skilled sniffer dogs, Phantom and Coco, are on the ground searching for those still missing.
"In the search for life -- Phantom and Coco. In the disaster-affected areas of Dharali, Uttarakhand Police SDRF's agile and brave dogs, Phantom and Coco, are meticulously sniffing every stone, every crevice, every scent in their quest for life. No fatigue, no fear -- just a resolve to reach every breath," the police said in a statement.
Since the beginning of air rescue operations, over 1,300 people have been evacuated. However, 42 individuals remain unaccounted for, including nine army personnel. Of these, there are also eight locals from Dharali, five from nearby areas, one from the Tehri district, 13 from Bihar, and six from Uttar Pradesh.
On Tuesday, experts from the National Geophysical Research Institute (NGRI) began using Ground Penetrating Radars to locate missing people.
Meanwhile, the SDRF has set up community kitchens in Harsil and Dharali, providing fresh and nutritious meals to both affected residents and personnel engaged in relief work.
In a significant boost to the operations, the Indian Army has operationalised a 400-metre aerial cableway and completed an 800-metre Animal Transport Track in record time.
These measures will expedite the delivery of relief materials to Dharali.
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NDTV
20 hours ago
- NDTV
GPR Scanning Helps Identify 20 Spots In Dharali Where People Could Be Trapped
Uttarkashi: Rescuers on Tuesday said they have identified 20 spots at a depth of 2.5-3 metres using Ground Penetrating Radars in the lower areas of the flood-ravaged Dharali where there is the possibility of people being trapped, officials said as search and rescue operations entered the seventh day. Heavy equipment is being used with great caution as the soil is marshy and sinking, while machines are strictly not being used at places where there could be life, they said. A team of experts from the National Geophysical Research Institute (NGRI) is lending a helping hand in the search operation to trace the 66 people, including 24 Nepali labourers, reported missing since the tragedy. According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), there is moderate to high flash flood risk in a few watersheds and neighbourhoods of 11 of Uttarakhand's 13 districts, including Uttarkashi, over the next 24 hours. The devastating flash flood on August 5 virtually left almost half of Dharali village buried under mud and badly damaged an army camp in nearby Harsil. "Through GPR scanning in the lower areas, 20 such spots have been found at a depth of two and a half to three metres, where buildings or other similar structures have been detected. "Light debris and then solid ground have been found below three metres which suggest there might be people trapped at that level," said an official of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), who is on ground zero. Ground Penetrating Radars (GPRs) use radio waves to detect objects and structures up to a depth of 50 metres below the surface. However, the search operation with heavy equipment is being carried out very carefully as the soil here is marshy and sinking, he said. Machines are strictly not being used at places where there could be life. These points are marked, and digging there is being done with hand tools, the official said. Rescue radar, which works on radio frequency, is being used in the debris-filled areas of Dharali to speed up search operations, a technical officer of Erica Engineering, which uses the equipment, said. According to NDRF officials at the site, equipment like GPR and rescue radar will continue to be used until the entire debris-filled area is marked. The NGRI had used its GPRs to locate people trapped in the SLBC tunnel collapse in Telangana in February this year. These radars of NGRI can detect human life even in the presence of mud and water, the officials said, adding that the GPR surveys will also detect anomalies within the debris. According to officials, 42 people are missing, including nine army personnel, eight residents of Dharali village, five from nearby areas, one person from Tehri district, 13 from Bihar and six from Uttar Pradesh. Apart from these, 29 Nepali labourers were also reported missing initially, out of which five have been contacted after the restoration of mobile network in the area, he said. More details about the remaining 24 labourers, like their mobile numbers and places where they hailed from, have been sought from their contractors in the hope that they might also have escaped to safety like five others of their team, Garhwal Commissioner Vinay Shankar Pandey said. Meanwhile, air rescue of stranded people was delayed by bad weather on Tuesday, even as transportation of relief material to the affected people in Dharali and Harsil continued for the seventh day. Supply of relief materials, including food items by helicopters, could be resumed only in the afternoon after the weather cleared, with consignments of foodgrains, edibles and fuel flown from Matli and Chinyalisaur helipads for the affected people. Materials needed by the BRO to repair the damaged stretches of the Gangotri National Highway at Songad and Dabrani were also carried by the helicopters. Two pregnant women of Dharali village were airlifted to Matli helipad to be taken to the District Hospital, Uttarkashi. However, weather continues to be a major challenge with the IMD saying there is moderate to high flash flood risk likely over a few watersheds and neighbourhoods of 11 of Uttarakhand's 13 districts, including Uttarkashi, over the next 24 hours. The districts at risk include Almora, Bageshwar, Chamoli, Champawat, Dehradun, Nainital, Pauri, Pithoragarh, Rudraprayag, Tehri and Uttarkashi, it said. Surface runoff or inundation may occur at some fully saturated soils and low-lying areas during the period, it said. The yatra to Kedarnath in Rudraprayag district and Badrinath and Hemkund Sahib in Chamoli have been suspended from August 12-14 in view of the MeT department's alert of heavy rains during the period in almost all the districts of Uttarakhand.
The Print
a day ago
- The Print
A ‘blast-like sound', then came the deluge. Uttarkashi's Dharali grapples with trail of devastation
'We were eating lunch when the flood hit,' said 38-year-old Dharali resident Suresh Panwar. 'We ran to a higher point and saw the market being submerged. Our house got hit in the second wave.' As National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and Army personnel carry out search and rescue operations—sifting through rocks, boulders and chunks of earth—villagers are still in a state of shock. Some lost family members, others homes and livelihoods. Dharali : From Mukhawa, the village on the mountain side opposite Dharali, a clear view of destruction the flash flood brought is laid bare. Dharali's entire market area is submerged, not a single structure in sight. A two-storey house has been dragged to the edges of the Bhagirathi riverbank, only part of its second floor and roof jutting out of the debris. The viral video showing the flash flood consuming everything in its path was just the beginning. After the first major outburst, the deluge returned in waves. Panwar told ThePrint he had vegetable patches and apple orchards that were destroyed in the flash flood. Most of the fields were downhill, near the banks of the river. Now, only a few apple trees remain, his only source of income. 'The durability and quality of the vegetables we grow here is very good. They don't spoil easily. We grow potatoes, broccoli, cabbage, peas and rajma (kidney beans),' he said, adding that the damage to his vegetable patches is in excess of Rs 5 lakh. This part of Uttarkashi is famous for its Red Royal variety of apples. Panwar has decided to abandon the two-storey wood and cement house his grandfather built, now inundated with silt and debris. Although his family was evacuated by helicopter to Matli a day after the floods, he stayed back to gather what was left of their belongings. 'If another flood comes here, we won't be saved,' he said, adding that the village was struck by floods in 2013, 2017 and now in 2025. 'But at the time, it didn't do much damage. Now 50-60 people have lost their lives in the market area alone.' Panwar pointed to an area right next to his house where his uncle lived. The patch of land is now covered in silt and debris, showing no signs of the house that once stood there. Referring to his cousin, Panwar told ThePrint that he 'had gone to the market to get cooking supplies; they just recovered his body'. Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) Deputy Inspector General Parminder Singh had told ThePrint earlier that the flash flood happened at about 1:30 pm on 5 August and personnel from ITBP reached Dharali by 4:30 pm the same day. In Pictures: A trail of debris, loss, feeble prayers—Scenes from Dharali, a village half buried under rubble 'It was like a blast-like sound' Most of the surviving villagers have moved to higher ground, setting up camp near the temple where the government has been storing rations. Local leaders are distributing bags of rice, potatoes, tea, cooking oil, shoes, mattresses and towels with the help of personnel from the ITBP and Uttarakhand police. Rajat Panwar was at this temple when the deluge came. 'It was like a blast-like sound. It strikes fear in my mind even now,' said Rajat, adding that he ran in the direction of higher ground and saw his family-owned hotel being submerged. 'I thought my immediate family members would drown, but they were safe. I lost some classmates and my aunt's son.' Having lost his hotel and apple orchards, he doesn't have any means to feed his family or build a roof over their heads. Choking back tears, he pleaded to the government—for shelter and a source of livelihood. 'In some families, people have lost the main earner. The government should give some sort of permanent employment, not necessarily a government job, to one person in each family, so at least the house can function.' 'Neighbouring villages see each other as one' In Harsil, some 7 km from Dharali, 18-year-old Shrikant Rawat runs up and down flights of stairs, ensuring guests in his family's hotel are taken care of. Rawat was in Dharali visiting relatives for a local festival when the flash flood struck Dharali and an Army camp in Harsil. 'I saw it with my own eyes,' said Rawat, who was on his way up to the temple when the flash flood came hurtling down the valley. 'Some people lost everything. What do village people have after all? Gold jewellery, fields, cows. Everything is gone for them.' Rawat added that the deluge came in waves, each devouring whatever came in its way in the blink of an eye. When he returned to Harsil, he saw that his village wasn't spared either. Newly built resorts on the banks of the river had been destroyed. 'For us, villages that are right next to each other we see as one village,' said Rawat, adding that he didn't want any support for Harsil, people were able to manage there. It is Dharali that needs more help, where villagers are living without electricity or clean water. Rawat said that between 50 to 80 people may have died in Dharali, a number he believes accurate based on conversations with local contractors, many of whom cannot account for migrant labourers. For now, these people are being counted as 'missing'. 'Village people are saying show us the body, because in everyone's mind they hold hope they will reunite with their loved ones,' he said. (Edited by Amrtansh Arora) Also Read: In disaster-hit Dharali, helicopters are lifeline for supplying rations. Work to reopen road on war footing
NDTV
a day ago
- NDTV
2 Pregnant Women Rescued From Disaster-Hit Dharali, Relief Efforts Intensify
Uttarkashi: Two pregnant women were airlifted from the disaster-affected Dharali village in Uttarakhand's Uttarkashi on Tuesday and are now receiving medical attention at the district hospital. The women, accompanied by two toddlers, were first flown by helicopter from Sukhi Top to the ITBP camp before being transported to the hospital via ambulance. Following a day's suspension due to heavy rainfall on Monday, helicopter operations resumed on Tuesday, enabling the delivery of essential relief and medical supplies to Dharali. Evacuation efforts also continued, with residents from the affected regions of Harsil and Dharali being flown to Matli. Relief materials are being sent continuously to these areas via air. Multiple agencies, including the Indian Army, NDRF, SDRF, police, and other rescue units, are working tirelessly to carry out search and relief operations. Adding to the efforts, the SDRF's skilled sniffer dogs, Phantom and Coco, are on the ground searching for those still missing. "In the search for life -- Phantom and Coco. In the disaster-affected areas of Dharali, Uttarakhand Police SDRF's agile and brave dogs, Phantom and Coco, are meticulously sniffing every stone, every crevice, every scent in their quest for life. No fatigue, no fear -- just a resolve to reach every breath," the police said in a statement. Since the beginning of air rescue operations, over 1,300 people have been evacuated. However, 42 individuals remain unaccounted for, including nine army personnel. Of these, there are also eight locals from Dharali, five from nearby areas, one from the Tehri district, 13 from Bihar, and six from Uttar Pradesh. On Tuesday, experts from the National Geophysical Research Institute (NGRI) began using Ground Penetrating Radars to locate missing people. Meanwhile, the SDRF has set up community kitchens in Harsil and Dharali, providing fresh and nutritious meals to both affected residents and personnel engaged in relief work. In a significant boost to the operations, the Indian Army has operationalised a 400-metre aerial cableway and completed an 800-metre Animal Transport Track in record time. These measures will expedite the delivery of relief materials to Dharali.
