Uttarakhand Cloudburst: Tapkeshwar Temple Flooded, IMD Issues Red Alert For Dehradun, Tehri Garhwal

Heavy rainfall in Uttarakhand's Dehradun on Tuesday morning triggered a cloudburst, causing the Tamsa river to swell and inundate the Tapkeshwar Mahadev temple. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued a red alert for Dehradun and Tehri Garhwal districts till 9 am, warning of more severe weather.

Dramatic visuals from Dehradun show the river in full spate, submerging the temple premises. According to temple priest Acharya Bipin Joshi, the river began to swell around 5 am, leading to complete flooding of the temple complex. He cautioned people against going near rivers in such conditions.

"This kind of situation has not occurred in a very long time. Losses have been reported in several places. People should stay away from rivers right now. The sanctum sanctorum of the temple remains safe, and no human loss has been reported so far," Joshi told ANI.

Under the red alert, Dehradun could witness rainfall exceeding 15 mm per hour, accompanied by thunderstorms and gusty winds reaching 62-87 kmph. Such cloudbursts are common in hilly states like Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand during the monsoon season.

On Saturday, a flash flood triggered by a cloudburst in Namhol, Bilaspur district of Himachal Pradesh, buried at least 10 vehicles under debris and caused significant damage to crops.

In August, Uttarakhand's Dharali village faced devastation after a massive cloudburst led to flash floods in the Kheer Ganga river, resulting in multiple deaths. Officials and eyewitnesses described it as similar to the 2021 Chamoli disaster, in which over 200 people had died.