Uttarakhand: Char Dham Yatra suspended; heavy rain warning in place

The Uttarakhand government has suspended the Char Dham Yatra—covering the shrines of Yamunotri, Gangotri, Kedarnath, and Badrinath—along with the Hemkund Sahib pilgrimage until September 5, following red and orange alerts for heavy rainfall issued by the Meteorological Department.

“Due to extremely heavy rain, there is a high possibility of landslides, cloudbursts & localised flooding, especially in Rudraprayag, Chamoli, Almora, Bageshwar, Uttarkashi, Tehri, Pithoragarh, Kedarnath-Badrinath axis, Nainital, and Mukteshwar,” said the Skymet Weather on X.

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Meanwhile, a news agency reported that two people lost their lives and three were injured after a heavy stone fell on a vehicle in the Munkatiya landslide zone between Sonprayag and Gaurikund on the route to Kedarnath Dham. SDRF officials launched immediate rescue operations and shifted the injured to Sonprayag hospital.

According to ANI, Vinay Shankar Pandey, Secretary to Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami and Garhwal Commissioner, said the decision was taken purely as a safety measure amid forecasts of extremely heavy showers in the coming days.He explained that frequent landslides and debris have been blocking roads across the state despite ongoing clearance efforts. “For the security and convenience of pilgrims, we have decided to halt the Char Dham and Hemkund Sahib Yatra till September 5,” Pandey told ANI.

The official also urged devotees to avoid starting their journeys for now and to strictly adhere to the advisories issued by the administration in light of the severe weather conditions.