'Orange alert' issued for 3 Uttarakhand districts; 12 dead in rain-related incidents

District administrations have been instructed to exercise caution after the Meteorological Department issued an 'Orange Alert' for heavy to very heavy rainfall in three districts, including Dehradun, on Wednesday.

According to the State Emergency Operations Centre (SEOC) and the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), 12 people died in rain-related incidents in the state on Tuesday.

The Meteorological Department predicted heavy to very heavy rainfall at isolated places, accompanied by thunderstorms and lightning, in Dehradun, Nainital, and Bageshwar districts on Wednesday. A 'Yellow Alert' was also issued for the remaining districts of the state, forecasting heavy rain at isolated locations.

Districts asked to remain vigilant

Officials said that given the weather warning, district administrations have been directed to remain vigilant and stay prepared for immediate action in the event of any incident.

The alerts come after several parts of the state recorded intense rainfall over the past 24 hours, with Nainital among the worst-affected districts in terms of rainfall.

Nainital records over 200 mm rain

Several locations across the state experienced extremely heavy rainfall over the past 24 hours. During this period, Nainital district saw very heavy rainfall in multiple areas.

Rainfall figures recorded include 217 mm in Nainital city, 161 mm in Bhimtal, 140 mm in Mukteshwar, 122 mm in Haldwani, 114 mm in Dhari, 105 mm in Kainchi Dham, 93.5 mm in Kushyakutoli, 92 mm in Khansyu, and 80.5 mm in Betalghat.

Rainfall of 78.5 mm was recorded in Jhulaghat (Pithoragarh), 74 mm in Champawat, and 66.5 mm in Kaladhungi (Nainital district), while other districts also experienced moderate to heavy rainfall.