Uttarakhand Suspends Char Dham Yatra Due to Severe Weather Warnings

Uttarakhand suspended the Char Dham pilgrimage from Saturday afternoon through Sunday after the weather department issued red and orange heavy-rain alerts across multiple districts. Garhwal Commissioner Anand Swaroop directed district officials to take safety measures, and the pilgrimage is expected to resume when conditions improve. Officials warned that intense rain could cause landslides, road closures and rising water levels; schools were also closed in several districts as a precaution, while authorities urged people to avoid unnecessary travel.
By Wednesday, about 50.87 lakh people had visited Uttarakhand’s Char Dham shrines and Hemkund Sahib this year, including 3.26 lakh at Hemkund Sahib; Badrinath had the most visitors, at 17.47 lakh.
Heavy rain had been falling across much of Uttarakhand since Saturday morning, with intermittent snowfall in higher areas; officials reported no loss of life or property at that point.
Schools were closed on Saturday in Bageshwar, Pithoragarh, Champawat, Nainital and Rudraprayag districts as a precaution.
Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami urged residents and tourists to avoid unnecessary travel during red-alert periods and to check weather and road conditions before making essential journeys.
Publishers
14
Articles
21
Reach
35