Heavy rains in Uttarakhand claim 50 lives; Rs 2.5 crore allotted to each disaster hit districts

50 people have reportedly been killed following floods and landslides in the last 48 hours. Also instances of landslides and house collapse have been reported as heavy rains continued to lash the mountainous state of Uttarakhand.

Fresh warnings were issued today after after water level in Ganga River increased above the danger mark in Haridwar. 

Landslide in the area led to blockage of highway in Gangotri affecting the movement of vehicles. 

Meanwhile, the situation continues to be alarming in Uttar Pradesh's Balrampur and Barabanki districts today where rising water levels have displaced lakhs of people and hundreds have gone missing. 

Hundreds of villages have been affected in Balrampur and Barabanki districts where River Rapti and River Ghagra crossed the danger mark today. 

Floods fury : Over 50 killed in Uttarakhand; lakhs affected in UP, Bihar

The Uttarakhand government has allocated Rs 2.5 crore each for the development of infrastructural facilities in disaster-hit districts of the state.
A decision to this effect was taken by Uttarakhand Chief Minister Harish Rawat after he held consultations with the District Magistrates of Pauri, Chamoli, Tehri, Pithoragarh and Rudraprayag yesterday to review the relief and rescue measures being undertaken in their areas over a year after the tragedy that killed thousands of people.

He sanctioned a fund of Rs 2.5 crore to each of them to carry out infrastructure development activities on priority basis, an official release said here today.

These districts were the worst-hit in the natural calamity last year.

Citing the loss of 24 lives in the recent spell of heavy rains across the state, the chief minister also asked the district heads to be alert and vigilant and undertake relief and rescue measures in affected areas on a war footing.

He asked them to take the warnings being issued from time to time by the MeT department seriously and prepare themselves accordingly.
Control rooms located in the district headquarters should be activated and the DMs should work to ensure better coordination among the army, paramilitary, police and air force personnel to deal with any disaster, Rawat was quoted as saying.

There has been a let up in heavy rains that claimed 24 lives in Pauri, Dehradun and Pithoragarh districts in separate incidents last week.​MeT department has predicted more rain in the next 48 hours. The state government has issued flood alerts to all villages situated within close proximity to these rivers. 

#Uttarakhand:Heavy rains wreaked havoc in Pauri dist.;14 persons killed in separate incidents of cloudburst, house collapse & landslides

— All India Radio News (@airnewsalerts) August 15, 2014

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has expressed concern via twitter offering condolences to families of the deceased.

PM Shri @narendramodi expresses grief over the loss of lives due to heavy rains in Uttarakhand. http://t.co/sFOJFYJx1M

— PIB India (@PIB_India) August 16, 2014