Dehradun, three days after a thunder squall swept through the hill-state, weather Gods have once again decided to bring Uttarakhand to a dripping halt on the 5th and 6th of June, following which the State Meteorological Center has issued a fresh warning of thunderstorm and squall in Dehradun, Pauri, Nainital and Udhamsingh Nagar Districts.
According to the Indian Met Department: “There are chances of an impending hailstorm, squall on Tuesday and Wednesday which will effect Dehradun, Pauri, Nainital and Udhamsingh Nagar Districts with wind velocity of upto 70-80 kilometer per/hour.”
In the past few days, rising mercury saw hill areas such as Rudraprayag touch 33 degrees, Gopeshwar at 32 and Uttarakashi at 31 degrees, while Haridwar was at a sweltering 37-38 degree. “Thunderstorms will be seen in the plains of five districts. Other places will receive light to moderate rainfall,” said Bikram Singh, Director, Met Centre.
Giving priority to the upcoming weather alert sounded by the Metrological Department on 5th and 6th of June, the State Administration is working on war footing to ensure that no untoward incident takes place, giving strict orders:
- NO vehicles, except emergency such as 108 will ply on hilly-roads from 8:00 pm to morning 5:00 a.m.
- There will be complete ban on tourists travelling in the interiors of Garhwal region in the face of inclement rain.
- Officials of Disaster Management have been kept on high alert.
- NH, PWD, ADB, BRO, WB have been given instructions to open road blocks, land slips if and when they occur.
- All Revenue Officials and Village Development Officers not to leave their area and be on duty.
- Officials and workers not to switch off mobiles.
- Schools to ensure safety and security of its students.
As the saying goes, ‘Caution is better than cure,‘ and this seems to be the leitmotif of Uttarakhand Government who seems to have learnt its bitter lesson from the 2013 Kedarnath Disaster, and is leaving no stone unturned to ensure that all remains well.
