Uttarakhand Ravaged Again: Cloudbursts and Relentless Rains Leave Trail of Death and Despair in Dehradun
Dehradun, Uttarakhand — For the people of Uttarakhand, nature’s fury has become a hauntingly repetitive nightmare. Even as communities struggle to recover from one calamity, another disaster strikes with greater intensity, leaving little room for healing.
The latest tragedy unfolded on Monday night, when retreating monsoon clouds burst open over the fragile Himalayan terrain, unleashing torrential rains that have killed at least 17 people, left 13 missing, and ravaged large parts of Dehradun and its surrounding regions.
The catastrophe has been likened by locals to a “holocaust-like calamity,” as entire landscapes are reshaped overnight — homes are swept away, agricultural fields buried under silt, roads and bridges reduced to rubble, and rivers transformed into raging torrents that swallow everything in their path.
Lives Lost, Families Shattered
The State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) confirmed that victims perished either after being swept away by surging rivers or buried alive under collapsing debris.
While officials have put the death toll at 13 confirmed fatalities, local estimates and recovered bodies suggest at least 17 deaths, alongside 13 missing individuals.
Two old bodies were also pulled from the Mauth river, though their connection to this disaster remains unclear.
Among the dead was a young student at Green Valley PG near DIT College, whose life was cut short when a collapsing wall buried him under rubble.
In Mussoorie’s Jharipani toll plaza, a laborer was killed and another grievously injured in a sudden landslide.
Elsewhere, a scooter rider was crushed to death by falling boulders on the Kalsi-Chakrata motor road. These tragic stories reflect the vulnerability of ordinary citizens, who face death not in battlefields but in their very homes, schools, and workplaces.
Rivers in Spate, Homes Engulfed
The most harrowing scenes emerged from Sahasradhara and Maldevta, where rivers Rispana and Bindal rose alarmingly above danger levels, submerging entire colonies.
Dozens of houses were filled with silt, debris, and floodwaters, while shops and hotels collapsed like matchsticks.
In Karligaad (Sahastradhara), eight shops were swept away and hotels sustained massive damage as torrents of mud tore through the area, leaving two people unaccounted for.
Further downstream, the Song River and the Asan River swelled beyond control. In one chilling incident, 13 villagers riding a tractor-trolley were washed away in the surging Asan; five bodies have been retrieved, while the rest are feared drowned.
Four more are missing from Shikhar Fall near Tapkeshwar, compounding the list of the lost.
Infrastructure in Ruins, Connectivity Severed
The scale of destruction has paralyzed movement in and out of Dehradun. The bridge near Nanda Ki Chowki on the Dehradun-Paonta National Highway collapsed under the force of the water, severing a critical lifeline. The Mussoorie-Dehradun road has been shut at multiple points due to landslides, isolating several communities.
Meanwhile, in Dehradun city, the IT Park area witnessed waist-deep water flooding offices, homes, and basements. Cars remained submerged overnight, with employees like Hrithik Sharma stranded since the early morning.
“I have been here since 5:30 am. The water has not receded. Cars are submerged, basements filled, and entire offices drowned,” he recounted in despair.
Rescue Efforts Amidst Overwhelming Odds
Rescue teams are battling time and terrain. The SDRF and NDRF have been deployed on a war footing, shifting residents to safer grounds and operating heavy machinery such as JCBs to clear debris.
Approximately 200 students stranded at the Devbhoomi Institute campus in Paundha were rescued after hours of waterlogging left them trapped.
“Teams responded overnight to every call for help. People have been evacuated to higher ground, but the search for the missing continues with urgency,” said SDRF Commandant Arpan Yaduvanshi.
Government Response
Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami personally visited Maldevta and Kesarwala, inspecting the destruction and directing officials to expedite relief.
He assured the bereaved families of government assistance and promised swift rehabilitation measures. In addition, Dehradun District Magistrate Savin Bansal declared all schools (up to Class 12) and Anganwadi centers closed, prioritizing the safety of children amid unstable weather.
Despite these steps, critics argue that the government machinery has been brought to a standstill by the sheer frequency and scale of disasters. Relief camps, reconstruction drives, and rehabilitation plans are announced year after year, only to be washed away by the next cloudburst or landslide.
A State Under Siege by Nature
For Uttarakhand, each monsoon brings not only rain but dread. Its fragile mountains, densely packed with human settlements, hotels, and expanding roadways, are no match for the torrents. Agriculture, vegetation, and biodiversity are left battered, while the population struggles with grief, displacement, and fear.
As one villager near Maldevta lamented: “Here, one tragedy never ends before another begins. We bury our dead, rebuild our homes, and then again, the rains come to destroy it all.”
With rivers still swollen and the monsoon not entirely withdrawn, the ordeal for Uttarakhand’s people is far from over.
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