People of Urni village in Kinnaur district of Himachal Pradesh are living under immense fear as falling boulders from mountains have blocked the flow of River Sutlej. Due to the blockages, artificial lakes have formed that pose a direct threat to a bridge being made over the river.
Monsoon this year has already knocked the doors of Himachal Pradesh and with heavy rainfall expected over the region, flow of the river is expected to rise. Shimla recently recorded 33.1 mm of rainfall. This had brought fear of floods among the residents of Urni.
Adding to the scare is the absence of any relief authority making any effort to free the river. Himachal Pradesh deputy speaker and Kinnaur MLA Jagat Singh Negi await a response from National Disaster Response Force (NDRF).
Negi said, "The Army was requested to clear the debris from the river, but they too have not come forward for help.”
As per Skymet Weather only light rain is expected over Himachal Pradesh in the next few days and by that time the blockage is also expected to clear up.
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For the time being, there are five laborers that are risking their lives to make the river debris free by blasting. "Accumulation of water in Sutlej could flood the areas downstream in case of sudden breach, but these five laborers have succeeded in partially opening the blockade," Negi said.
The Himachal Road Transport Corporation (HRTC) regional manager Devinder Negi too has been risking his life. "Nobody was willing to take laborers to the site, where manual blasting was needed to remove the debris. Devinder Negi stepped forward to take the laborers to the site where boulders are constantly falling," he added.
Jagat Singh Negi said that the efforts of five laborers would be honored for showing exemplary courage under adverse situation.
Image credit: AmarUjala
Originally Published: Times of India
Please Note: Any information taken from here should be attributed to skymetweather.com
