Rain, floods leave a trail of destruction
Survivors recall the horror and the loss of loved ones in tragedy
as I never imagined seeing this day at this age,” said an emotional Devi.
Recalling the rains on Tuesday, she prayed, “I just pray to Lord Kedarnath that such rains should never happen again which take someone’s dear ones away from them.”
In Rudrapur town of US Nagar district, which was witnessed floods on Tuesday in its many areas, 48-year-old Nandlal Gangwar has “goose bumps” while recalling the scenes at his house on Monday and Tuesday.
“I can’t explain my plight in my words. The floodwater stormed suddenly into our house and didn’t give a chance to carry our clothes, ration and valuables. My family ran towards the terrace leaving behind all household items in a bid to protect lives. Our fridge, TV, washing machine, clothes, ration and all other valuables are completely destroyed,” said Gangwar.
He said, “We spent the nights of Monday and Tuesday on the terrace while waiting for the floodwater from the local Kalyani river to subside. We only got down in the morning on Wednesday when the floodwater level reduced.”
Another resident of Rudrapur, Sonu Devi lashed out at politicians, saying, “Whatever I had worn at night, I am still wearing those clothes as all others have drenched in floodwater. Our ration has already been destroyed and we are yet to get relief from the government. Politicians come for a vote during elections but never visit our area when we are in problems.”
DEHRADUN: After parts of Nanital district received the highest ever rainfall in the past 124 years, the iconic Nainital lake witnessed its worst-ever flooding in living memory of local residents.
The lake waters overflowed onto the famous Mall Road and the Naina Devi temple complex on Tuesday. The water level rose so significantly that many locals even swam in the swelled waters in the Naina Devi temple complex. Even the fish from the lake came out with the overflowing waters, prompting some locals to catch them, and put them into buckets to release them back into the main lake later. Some even tried to move through a kayaking boat on the flooded Mall Road. The mango-shaped Nainital lake surrounded by hills is situated at an elevation of 1,938 metres, with a width of 360 metres and a length of 1,442 metres.
Pawan Singh Bisht, who has a shop near the lakeshore, said never in his life he has seen Nainital lake water flowing like this. “You could swim and move in a boat on the flooded road here. I also saw fish in large numbers moving in the swelled waters on the road. I have never seen such a sight here in my life”, he said.
Ajay Singh Rawat, environmentalist, who lives in Nainital, said it for the first time Nainital lake has overflown like this. “In 1995, the water had overflown to some extent. But this time it has happened in a big way. I don’t think it has ever happened like this here”, he said. Rawat said generally when the water level rises in the lake, local authorities release its waters into the Baliyanala. “But this time the rain was so severe that rain not only drained into the lake from the British era drains but also directly and also from the surrounding slopes,” he said.
In 1880, 151 people were killed in a major landslide in Nainital’s Sher Ka Danda area. After the 1880 tragedy, Britishers had developed a 79 km drain network on the hill slopes around Nainital and divided Nainital into safe and prohibited zones for the construction. “But constructions have come up in the same zones as well. And some constructions are over three storeys. Many drains have narrowed down due to encroachments and the throwing of solid waste into them. This has affected the free flow of rainwater into the lake”, said Rawat. Maruti Sah, president of Talital market association, said authorities opened the lake gate late despite knowing that there was a warning of very heavy rain.