Uttarakhand floods: ‘ISRO, DRDO helping to ascertain exact cause’

Dehradun: As multi-agency relief operations continue in Chamoli and adjoining areas of Uttarakhand, Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat Monday said a comprehensive analysis of the entire incident is being carried out to avert future tragedies and asserted the immediate priority was to provide food and other assistance to the affected people.

In an interview with PTI, he said the incident appeared to have happened due to the breaking of the glacier and the Chief Secretary has been instructed to find out the real reasons.

Preliminary estimates show that around 200 people are still missing, while 11 bodies have been found, he said.

“A DRDO team is already studying the cause of this tragedy and we have also sought the help of ISRO scientists and experts for the same,” he said.

After a comprehensive analysis is undertaken to find the reasons of this incident, “we will build an elaborate plan to avert any potential tragedy going forward”, Rawat said.

Asked about the ongoing relief operations, he said they are continuing in full swing.

“We have made all arrangements needed for the rescue and relief operations along with providing healthcare facilities to the affected people. Most importantly, we are working on re-establishing the connectivity to the affected villages,” he said.

Rawat said while the extent of economic loss will be ascertained in due course, the topmost priority, for now, is to save as many lives as possible and to rehabilitate those who have got displaced from their homes.

Multiple agencies coordinated efforts to search for survivors on Monday, a day after a portion of the Nanda Devi glacier possibly burst through its banks at Joshimath, triggering an avalanche and a deluge that rippled through the Alaknanda river system in the upper reaches of the Himalayas.