Heavy rains trigger landslides in Indian state of Uttarakhand

Sumesh RajanMumbai: August 30, 2018

Video Link:-  https://youtu.be/XIWnnBDwEtw

Heavy rains since the past few days have triggered landslides in the north Indian state of Uttarakhand.

Two brothers – Sabar Lal (50) and Gabar Lal (52) were killed and their relative Surendra Lal (45) was injured when their house collapsed after being struck by a landslide in Chamoli district, on August 29. The incident took place at Farkhet village in the mountainous pass close to Nandakini River – a tributary of River Ganga -- late in the night, informed Chamoli District Disaster Management Officer Nand Kishore Joshi.

The heavy rains had apparently loosened the soil of the slopes on which the houses have been built on stilts. Earlier in the day, a video shot by a resident of Farkhet village of another landslide in the village shows four shops located along the Ghat (mountainous pass) road tumbling down the mountain face into the Nandakini river. First, a men’s parlour gives away followed by a couple of shops selling vegetables and general provisions.

On the same day, in another landslide in Tehri district of the state, eight people were buried in debris, of whom six were killed, one sustained injuries while one is missing. Three families were residing at the site of the disaster. This incident took place at around 6 am in Budha Kedar village located on the banks of Bal Ganga River.

Unlike the coastal state of Kerala, which witnessed massive floods in the first week of this month due to heavy rainfall, Uttarakhand located in the Himalaya mountain range is not prone to flooding. However, both the states are seeing landslides caused due to heavy rains.