Vehicular movement blocked on Badrinath national highway due to falling debris

NEW DELHI: Vehicular movement on the Badrinath National Highway in Chamoli district has been blocked due to debris piling up at five locations. This disruption has left many commuters and locals stranded. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued a red alert for extremely heavy rainfall in Uttarakhand and surrounding states.

The Chamoli Police posted on X, "The Badrinath National Highway has been blocked due to debris near Bhanerpani, old Nagar Panchayat Pipalkoti, Kanchen Ganga, Chhinka Paagalnala, and Helang in Chamoli district."
This is not the first such incident recently.On Friday, traffic movement on the Badrinath National Highway in Chamoli was halted for several hours due to debris at two locations. Chamoli Police reported that debris near Angthala in the Kotwali Chamoli area caused a blockage at around 6.54 am. At the same time, falling debris between Bhanerpani (Pipalkoti) and the Nagar Panchayat Pipalkoti area was reported at around 6.49 am.
Local authorities and police promptly launched an operation to clear the debris. Traffic resumed at both locations after three hours.
The IMD predicts heavy to extremely heavy rainfall in Uttarakhand from July 3 to July 6. The anticipated rainfall measurements are heavy (64.5-115.5 mm), very heavy (115.5-204.44 mm), and extremely heavy (above 204.4 mm). On July 7, isolated heavy to very heavy rainfall is also expected in the state.
The red alert also applies to other states, including Himachal Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Delhi, Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh, and Madhya Pradesh.
As efforts continue to clear the blocked highway, authorities are urging residents and travelers to exercise caution in light of the severe weather forecast.