Lake formed near Raini village in Joshimath being monitored: Uttarakhand CM

Uttarakhand Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat on Friday informed that the lake formed near Raini village in Joshimath after a glacier breach in the Tapovan-Reni area of Chamoli District of Uttarakhand is being monitored. Rawat asserted that there is nothing to be worried about, but authorities need to be cautious. A team of scientists from DRDO will visit the site to better analyze the situation. 

'We need to be cautious'

CM Rawat told the media, "We've information about a lake that has been formed near Raini village in Joshimath. The lake is being monitored through satellites. Right now, we need to be cautious, but there is nothing to be worried about. It is about 400 meters wide. We do not know the depth. A team of scientists will visit the site to keep a check on it. They will air-dropped on the site for 3-4 hours through a helicopter and will submit a report. The Air Force is ready for this."

CM Trivendra Singh Rawat had approved the relocation of more than 50 families living in downstream areas as they are more vulnerable to natural disasters. Rawat has also agreed to release an amount of Rs 45 lakh for the expenditure on operating the earthquake early warning system. 

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Rescue operation continues

Uttarakhand Director-General of Police (DGP) Ashok Kumar informed that 10 dead bodies have been identified and the DNA of the unidentified bodies have been preserved before their last rites. Kumar added, "the rescue team will resume the drilling operation in the Tapovan tunnel to gain entry into a smaller tunnel which is 12 meters below the existing tunnel as there is a possibility of human presence there. Out of the bodies, 10 have been identified. Last rites will be performed for the unidentified bodies after preserving their DNA."

After a glacier breach in the Tapovan-Reni area of Chamoli District of Uttarakhand on Sunday, severe flooding occurred in Dhauliganga and Alaknanda rivers. The heavy flood damaged the pulls, bridges, and the Rishiganga hydro project. As of now, 32 bodies have been recovered from different regions and 206 people are still missing. The Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP), the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) continued rescue operations at Tapovan tunnel in Chamoli district on the sixth day following the flash floods. Also, the relief forces are providing ration to the villages that have been cut due to glacier breach in Chamoli. 

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