Need to remain alert but no cause for panic, says CM
The formation of a lake due to landslide at Raunthi Nala in the disaster affected area of Chamoli district is not a cause for fear said chief minister Trivendra Singh Rawat, while adding that the authorities are alert and keeping an eye on the situation. A team will be dropped by helicopter to check the situation. Meanwhile, the death toll due to the disaster which occurred on Sunday has risen to 38 while 166 persons have remained missing. A total of 184 domesticated animals were also lost in the disaster.
According to the State Emergency Operations Centres (SEOC), a team of scientists from the Indian Institute of Remote Sensing undertook an aerial survey of the area on Friday. They confirmed that water flow has started from the lake formed by landslide in the Raunthi Nala. The chief secretary Om Prakash also held a meeting in the evening with senior officials and scientists to assess the situation. A team of State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) has reached the Murenda Paig valley. The team has confirmed that water is flowing normally from the lake. Work is being undertaken by this team on the possibility of making a helipad in the area. Meanwhile, the CM said that the government is aware of the lake and is keeping an eye on it with satellite images and other means. He said that teams of scientists and personnel had gone towards the site. The lake is about 400 metres long though its depth is not yet known, he said while adding that the government is considering the option of dropping a team by helicopter at the site. “A helicopter is ready but we are looking for trained persons who can be dropped at the site to conduct a check for some hours and then submit a status report to the government,” said the CM.
According to the SEOC, rescue efforts have continued at the Tapovan-Vishnugad project tunnel where 25 to 35 persons are believed to be trapped. A little more than 100 metres of the tunnel has been cleared of debris. Backflow caused by the debris being in a sludge form is posing hindrance in the rescue efforts. About 100 SDRF personnel, 176 NDRF jawans, 425 personnel of ITBP, 124 personnel of the armed forces, two army medical teams, six teams of the state health department along with other personnel of various departments are present in the affected area.
Saturday, 13 February 2021 | PNS | Dehradun
