Dehradun (Uttarakhand) [India], September 10 : Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami on Wednesday said that the state is highly prone to disasters, particularly during the monsoon season, when landslides, floods, and waterlogging pose major challenges. He emphasised that national-level institutions must collaborate to strengthen forecasting systems and reduce losses caused by such events.
Highlighting this year's excessive rainfall, the Chief Minister said that it has caused severe damage across different regions of the state, resulting in both loss of lives and destruction of property.
Dhami further pointed out that incidents like cloudbursts and landslides in the hill districts cause permanent damage to land, making it unfit for agriculture or construction, and stressed the need for an effective action plan in this regard, according to a release.
After inspecting the disaster-hit areas in Uttarkashi, Rudraprayag, Pauri Garhwal, Chamoli, Bageshwar, and Nainital districts, the Inter-Ministerial Team met the Chief Minister at the Secretariat on Wednesday.
The team was led by R. Prasanna, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Home Affairs. The team shared feedback received from disaster-affected people and praised the relief operations carried out by the state government.
They appreciated the arrangements for shelter and food in relief camps, the availability of medical facilities on-site, and other essential services provided to the affected people.
The central team noted that the immediate assistance of Rs5 lakh provided by the state government to the families of deceased persons and to those whose houses were destroyed brought significant relief to the victims.
The team also commended the initiative of maintaining complete data of all pregnant women at the district level and ensuring their health and safe delivery through continuous monitoring, suggesting that such a critical practice should be adopted by other states as well.
The team further highlighted concerns about future risks, noting that excessive silt deposition in rivers due to landslides and floods has raised water levels, which could lead to additional damage.