DEHRADUN: The consequences of the devastating monsoon rains have started to appear. The administration has shifted nine families to relief camps after houses suddenly cracked after a landslide submerged land in Pagnau village in the Joshimath area amid water disasters. On the other hand, due to torrential rains in Devrana village of Pauri district, cracks have occurred in many houses, in view of the concern of the villagers, the administration officials are camping in the village.
According to reports from sources in the Chamoli district administration, "Due to fresh cracks in the houses in Pagnau village, 25 km from Joshimath, many families had to leave their homes, some have taken shelter at their relatives' place, while other families are living in cow sheds and tents in the fields near the village".
After the submergence of land in Joshimath, Karnaprayag and Kalsi, now 9 families of Pagnau village of Joshimath have been shifted to relief camps by the administration for safety. On Saturday, Joshimath Sub Divisional Magistrate Kumkum Joshi visited the village and took stock of the land disaster.
"There are 120 families living in Pagnau village, while preparations are being made to relocate 35 families who have come under the ambit of the land disaster," Joshimath SDM Kumkum Joshi told The New Indian Express.
Dalbir Singh Pawar, former area panchayat member of Darmi, Molta and Pagano, told this newspaper, "It is a natural calamity, 40 families have been affected due to leakage of lake water. The government should make immediate arrangements for the rehabilitation of these affected families".
In Devrana village of Pauri, many houses have developed big cracks and about 32 families of the village are in danger.
According to information received from sources, due to torrential rains in Devrana of Dandamandal area of Yamkeshwar block of Pauri district, many houses have developed cracks about two feet wide and many houses have been completely damaged. The villagers have demanded the displacement of the village.
"The motorway of the village has also been badly damaged after the cracks, due to which the village has been cut off from Rishikesh market and block headquarters Yamkeshwar," local villager Rajendra Dobriyal told this newspaper. The land is submerged in the upper and lower parts of the village, causing panic among the villagers. These cracks have spread over an area of three kilometres.
Similarly, Rupendra Singh's house in Kasan village has been damaged. Due to the landslide, the hill behind the house is constantly falling, due to which there have been big cracks all around. Four members of a family were buried under the debris after a cloudburst in 2007, but they have not been displaced since.
The State Meteorological Centre has issued a red alert in the state till August 15, in some districts, especially in many areas of Dehradun, Tehri, Pauri, Nainital, Udham Singh Nagar and Champawat districts.
