Incessant rains lash Uttarakhand

Dehradun: As many as 30 houses were damaged in Uttarkashi district due to landslides triggered by heavy rains, which continued to lash Uttarakhand on Thursday.

Landslides struck Quaritok and Malla villages of the district, but there were no immediate reports of any casualty, officials said. Landslips were also reported from Ganga Vihar colony in Bhatwadi area of the district, officials said. The affected families are sitting in the open but the administration is making arrangements to provide them shelter, sources said. Water levels of Ganga, Yamuna, Sharda, Gori, Kali and Gola rivers are rising due to incessant rains, and the administration is keeping a close watch on the situation. An alert has been sounded as river Ganga is flowing just 70 cm below the danger mark in Haridwar. "Administration has issued alert in low lying areas near Ganga. People from the villages have not been evacuated till now," said Naresh Chowdhary, district disaster management officer of Haridwar. Bad weather has been hampering relief and reconstruction work in the flood-ravaged state. Two persons were killed yesterday in the incidents of landslide, cloudburst and house collapse following heavy rains. PTI