Monsoon mayhem: Cloudburst in Uttarakhand; Heavy rains in Odisha, Jharkhand

New Delhi, Aug 20: A cloudburst incident was reported in Uttarakhand's Dehradun in the wee hours of Saturday causing rivers to breach their banks and wash away bridges. Several locals have been rescued and moved to safer locations by the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF). The extent of the damage caused by the natural calamity is yet to be known.

Water also entered the caves of Tapkeshwar, a famous Shiva temple on the banks of the Tons river.

The cloudburst occurred around 2.15 am. A bridge over the Song river was washed away and the Kempty Falls, a popular tourist spot near Mussoorie, was flowing dangerously, the officials said.

Mud entered homes in over a dozen villages following the cloudburst, prompting the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) to shift the affected people to safe locations.

The affected villages include Maldevta, Bhutsi, Tauliyakatal, Thatyud, Lavarkha, Ringalgadh, Dhuttu, Ragad Gaon and Sarkhet, according to the officials.

The affected residents have been shifted to schools and panchayat buildings, said Sub-Divisional Magistrate, Dhanolti, Lakshmi Raj Chauhan.

The Raipur-Kumalda motor road has been blocked due to debris at a number of places, he said.

The Rishikesh-Badrinath highway is blocked at Totaghati, the Rishikesh-Gangotri highway is blocked at Nagni, and the Narendranagar-Ranipokhri motor road is blocked at several points, Chauhan said.

Heavy rain alert in eastern states

Several places in Odisha were pounded by heavy rain under the impact of the deep depression over the Bay of Bengal. Under the influence of the weather system, squally surface winds reaching speeds of up to 55-65 kmph is expected in coastal areas and 30-40 kmph in interior districts of the state, an IMD bulletin said.

According to the weather bulletin, heavy to very heavy rainfall is likely in the districts of Balasore, Mayurbhanj, Keonjhar and Bhadrak.

The IMD has asked all fishermen to return to shore as sea conditions are likely to remain rough. The weather agency, however, rejected speculations of the deep depression intensifying into a cyclone.

The Odisha government, which is trying hard to tackle the flood in the Mahanadi river system, said its focus is now on several other rivers in the northern part of the state amid forecast of heavy to very heavy rainfall there.

The Ranchi Meteorological Centre has issued a 'red alert' for parts of Jharkhand, where heavy rainfall is likely from Friday evening due to the impact of a deep depression over the Bay of Bengal, officials said.

Heavy to very heavy rainfall might continue till Saturday in many parts of the state, they said.