Uttarakhand braces for heavy rain and landslides as IMD issues red and orange alerts

For Sep 26, the India Meteorological Department issued red alerts for Bageshwar, Pithoragarh, Champawat, Nainital and Udham Singh Nagar, orange alerts for Dehradun, Pauri Garhwal, Rudraprayag, Chamoli and Almora, and yellow alerts for Haridwar, Uttarkashi and Tehri Garhwal. On Sep 27, red alerts shift to Dehradun, Tehri Garhwal, Pauri Garhwal and Haridwar, with orange alerts for Uttarkashi, Chamoli, Nainital and Rudraprayag, and yellow alerts for Bageshwar, Almora, Champawat, Udham Singh Nagar and Pithoragarh.

The IMD warned of heavy to extremely heavy rain, thunderstorms, gusty winds and possible snowfall above 4,000 m. Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami ordered continuous operation of district emergency centres, rapid relay of warnings, and pre-positioning of JCBs and other equipment on landslide-prone roads. He also stressed special vigilance on the Char Dham Yatra route and urged residents to avoid travel in high-risk zones. Disaster Management Minister Madan Kaushik and Secretary Vinod Kumar Suman met with officials from all 13 districts to ensure coordination among police, SDRF, fire services and other agencies.