A major accident has occurred in Chamoli in Uttarakhand as the dam of Rishi Ganga Tapovan Hydro Project near Rani village has sustained severe damage due to glacier breakdown in the core zone under Chamoli Nanda Devi National Park. Many workers working on the project are feared to be missing in this accident, though no official information has been given by the administration.
In a tweet, Uttarakhand Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat has advised people to avoid rumours. “A disaster has been reported from Chamoli district. The district administration, police department and disaster management have been ordered to deal with the disaster. Ignore any rumours. The government is taking all necessary steps,” he said
चमोली ज़िले से एक आपदा का समाचार मिला है। ज़िला प्रशासन, पुलिस विभाग और आपदा प्रबंधन को इस आपदा से निपटने की आदेश दे दिए हैं। किसी भी प्रकार की अफ़वाहों पर ध्यान ना दें । सरकार सभी ज़रूरी कदम उठा रही है।
— Trivendra Singh Rawat (@tsrawatbjp) February 7, 2021
Ganga bank evacuated in Haridwar
In Chamoli, alerts have been made in several districts including Haridwar as a precautionary measure following the glacier burst. The Haridwar DM has directed to evacuate the areas along the Ganga in view of the threat.
More than 150 labourers working at the Rishi Ganga power project may have been directly affected, news agency PTI reported State Disaster Response Force DIG Ridhim Aggarwal as saying.
“Representatives of the power project have told me that they are not being able to contact around 150 of their workmen at the project site,” she said.
Three choppers including two Mi-17 and one ALH Dhruv chopper of Air Force stationed in Dehradoon for rescue operations in flood-affected areas.
