Disaster In Uttarakhand
Flood that wiped hundreds' lives.
Occurrence
Destruction of bridges and roads left about 100,000 pilgrims and tourists trapped in the valleys leading to three of the four Hindu Chota Char Dham pilgrimage sites. The Indian Air Force, the Indian Army, and paramilitary troops evacuated more than 110,000 people from the flood ravaged area.
Origin
From 14 to 17 June 2013, the Indian state of Uttarakhand and adjoining areas received heavy rainfall, which was about 375% more than the benchmark rainfall during a normal monsoon. Heavy rainfall for four consecutive days as well as melting snow aggravated the floods. Warnings by the India Meteorological Department predicting heavy rains were not given wide publicity beforehand, causing thousands of people to be caught unaware, resulting in huge loss of life and property.
Consequences
Landslides, due to the floods, damaged several houses and structures, killing those who were trapped. The heavy rains resulted in large flashfloods and massive landslides. Over 70,000 people were stuck in various regions because of damaged or blocked roads. For more than three days, stranded pilgrims and tourists were without rations or survived on little food. The roads were seriously damaged at more than 450 places, resulting in huge traffic jams, and the floods caused many cars and other vehicles to be washed away.
Other Regions Which Got Affected By The Flood
Delhi, Gurgaon and surrounding areas received a high amount of rainfall on 16 June 2013, leading to flooding of the low lying areas of the cities. The Yamuna River swelled to a new high of 207.75 meters submerging the low lying flood plains along the banks.
Uttar Pradesh
608 villages, covering a population of 700,000, in 23 districts of Uttar Pradesh were affected by the flood and as of 11 July 2013 more than 120 deaths were reported from the state.
Himachal Pradesh
In Himachal Pradesh, floods caused loss of life and property and death toll in the state was 20.
Aftermath
The Prime Minister of India undertook an aerial survey of the affected areas and announced Rs.10 billion aid package relied efforts in the state. Several state governments announced financial assistance, with Uttar Pradesh pledging Rs.250 million the governments of Haryana, Maharashtra and Delhi Rs.100 million (US$1.7 million) each, the governments of Tamil Nadu, Odisha, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh Rs.50 million each.