New lake poses threat to rain-ravaged Uttarakhand

A lake formed after melting of glaciers at Satopanth in Chamoli district posed fresh danger to the rain-ravaged areas of Badrinath, Joshimath and Karnaprayag, prompting the administration to issue an alert.

Rain fury, meanwhile, continued in Uttarakhand where six persons were on Thursday killed in a landslide in Nainital district.

The lake which has formed about 30 km from Badrinath can pose danger to the adjoining areas including the shrine, Joshimath and Karnaprayag, Chamoli District Magistrate S A Murugesan said.

"We have issued an alert following instructions to this effect from the state Disaster Management and Mitigation department," Murugesan told PTI.

A joint army and Indo Tibetan Border Police team later did an aerial survey of glacial lake and found there was no reason for immediate alarm, he said.

Five persons were killed in a landslide triggered by heavy overnight rains in Lohardhunga village near Bhimtal in Nainital district at about 3.30 am, the district information officer said.

But the weather was largely clear in Chamoli, Uttarakashi and Rudraprayag districts and air relief operations continued unobstructed in the affected areas.

With some blocked roads reopened in affected areas, relief operations hampered over the past few days due to bad weather picked up momentum.

Most of the power supply lines snapped in the villages since the tragedy occurred have also been restored through alternative arrangements, officials said, adding total restoration of power in the countryside would not be possible before September 30.

Image: People walk along road that was damaged due to the floods in Uttarakhand
Photographs: Reuters