Search for Missing BRO Personnel Intensifies After Chamoli Flash Flood
Authorities are intensifying the search for Border Roads Organisation (BRO) personnel swept away in a flash flood in Uttarakhand's Chamoli district. Road connectivity to the Niti valley has been severed after a bridge washed away, prompting urgent restoration efforts.
Key takeaways
- Search efforts are intensifying for Border Roads Organisation personnel missing after a flash flood in Chamoli, Uttarakhand.
- A flash flood caused a bridge to wash away, severing road access to several villages in the Niti Valley.
- Emergency teams are working on a temporary route, aiming for restoration by Wednesday evening.
- A scientific investigation has been launched to determine the cause of the flash flood.
Search operations are underway for Border Roads Organisation (BRO) personnel who were carried away by a flash flood in Uttarakhand’s Chamoli district on Monday. Officials confirmed intensified efforts on Tuesday to locate the missing individual.
The flash flood also caused a newly constructed Bailey bridge over the Tamak Nala to wash away, disrupting road connectivity to a dozen border villages in the Niti Valley, including Malari, Gamshali, and Niti. Restoration efforts are being prioritized, with teams working to establish a temporary motorable route using hume pipes across the Tamak Nala.
Sub-divisional magistrate Chandra Shekhar Vashisht stated that National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), district administration, and police are working urgently to reinstate vehicular movement. Machinery and resources have been deployed to facilitate the construction of the temporary route, with a hope for restoration by Wednesday evening, provided conditions are favorable.
The district administration has advised residents and motorists to avoid unnecessary travel in the affected area and adhere to the instructions of the deployed teams until the route is repaired. Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami has reviewed the situation, directing officials to ensure uninterrupted supplies of essential commodities and expedite the restoration of road access.
The government has also initiated a detailed scientific investigation into the Chamoli flash flood. Experts from various geological and remote sensing institutions have been asked to study the upper catchment of the Tamak Nala to identify the cause of the sudden surge in water and debris. The investigation aims to determine if the event was triggered by rainfall, a cloudburst, heavy runoff, or other hydrological or geomorphological factors, including landslides or subsidence.
Key Facts
- Border Roads Organisation (BRO) personnel were swept away in a flash flood in Chamoli, Uttarakhand, on Monday.
- A Bailey bridge over the Tamak Nala was washed away due to a rise in water levels following heavy rainfall.
- Road access to villages including Malari, Gamshali, and Niti in the Niti Valley has been cut off.
- Restoration efforts involve laying hume pipes to create a temporary motorable route.
- National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), district administration, and police are involved in rescue and restoration.
- Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami has directed officials to ensure essential supplies and expedite road restoration.
- A scientific investigation has been ordered to determine the cause of the flash flood.
Story by Project Chintan
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