Dehradun (Uttarakhand) [India], September 25 : Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami, in view of the red alert issued by the India Meteorological Department (IMD) for the next two days, spoke to Secretary Disaster Management and Rehabilitation Vinod Kumar Suman and directed all concerned districts and departments to take necessary precautionary measures.
Dhami directed officials to maintain heightened vigilance in districts under red and orange alerts, continuously monitor vulnerable areas and ensure that all arrangements for relief and rescue operations are in place in advance in case of any emergency. He also directed that district emergency operation centres remain active and weather warnings be disseminated immediately at the local level.
Disaster Management and Rehabilitation Minister Madan Kaushik also spoke to Secretary Vinod Kumar Suman and took stock of the weather situation and preparedness across the state. He directed officials to closely monitor the weather and remain fully prepared to deal with any eventuality.
Following the Chief Minister’s directions, Secretary Vinod Kumar Suman held a meeting with all 13 districts on Friday and instructed them to remain on alert mode.
According to the weather department forecast, on September 26, red alerts have been issued for five districts, orange alerts for five districts and yellow alerts for three districts. On September 27, red alerts have been issued for four districts, orange alerts for four districts and yellow alerts for five districts.
On September 26, Bageshwar, Pithoragarh, Champawat, Nainital and Udham Singh Nagar are under a red alert, while Dehradun, Pauri Garhwal, Rudraprayag, Chamoli and Almora are under an orange alert. Haridwar, Uttarkashi and Tehri Garhwal are under a yellow alert.
On September 27, red alerts have been issued for Dehradun, Tehri Garhwal, Pauri Garhwal and Haridwar; orange alerts for Uttarkashi, Chamoli, Nainital and Rudraprayag; and yellow alerts for Bageshwar, Almora, Champawat, Udham Singh Nagar and Pithoragarh.
The weather department has forecast heavy to very heavy rainfall at several places and extremely heavy rainfall at isolated places. Authorities have been asked to remain particularly vigilant in view of the possibility of landslides and road blockages in hilly areas, rising water levels in rivers and streams, and waterlogging in the plains.
Suman directed all districts to continuously monitor vulnerable areas, keep district emergency operation centres operational and ensure immediate dissemination of every weather warning to the ground level.
Officials have been instructed to continuously monitor water levels in rivers, streams, gad-gaderas and other water sources and make arrangements to shift people living nearby to safer locations if water levels rise. JCBs and other necessary machinery should be stationed at strategic locations along landslide-prone roads and areas so that blocked routes can be cleared at the earliest.
All district emergency operation centres have been directed to remain operational round the clock, with continuous coordination among the police, SDRF, fire services, health, Public Works Department, drinking water, power and other concerned departments. Relief and rescue teams, along with necessary equipment and resources, should be deployed in vulnerable areas as required.
The Secretary also directed that traffic on mountain routes be regulated based on weather and road conditions and unnecessary travel in areas vulnerable to landslides and heavy rainfall be avoided. People living near rivers, streams and seasonal water channels should be regularly alerted and prevented from approaching riverbanks or entering fast-flowing waters.
Special monitoring has also been ordered along the Char Dham routes, major tourist destinations and other vulnerable areas to ensure the safety of pilgrims and tourists. All arrangements should be kept ready in advance so that relief and rescue operations can begin with minimum response time in case of an emergency.
Suman urged district administrations to remain fully alert and not to show any negligence in view of the prevailing weather conditions. He also appealed to the public to follow advisories issued by the weather department and district administration, avoid unnecessary travel and stay away from rivers, streams and landslide-prone areas.
The State Emergency Operation Centre is continuously monitoring the weather situation. In case of any emergency, people can contact the State Emergency Operation Centre at toll-free number 1070, the District Emergency Operation Centre at 1077, or emergency services at 112.