A cloudburst followed by landslides struck Tharali in Chamoli district late August 22 night, causing heavy destruction. Several houses were flooded with debris and water, while falling trees and boulders damaged property, including the Saraswati Shishu Mandir building and multiple vehicles.
District Magistrate Sandeep Tiwari confirmed that the cloudburst occurred around midnight amid heavy rains. “So far, one girl has been reported missing. SDRF and local police teams are engaged in intensive rescue and relief operations,” he said. The first response team on the ground was from Uttarakhand Police, who rushed to the affected spot immediately after the disaster.
Local residents, anticipating the risk due to worsening weather, had already moved to safer locations before the incident, preventing greater loss of life. However, debris swept through the streets of Tharali market, damaging vehicles and infrastructure. Large trees were also uprooted in the disaster’s impact zone.
Meanwhile, in Uttarkashi district, panic gripped residents after the Yamuna overflowed into houses at Syanachatti–Naugaon due to debris-induced obstruction, which created a temporary lake. The rising waters submerged a bridge and flooded the entire village, forcing evacuation. District Magistrate Prashant Arya, who supervised operations on-site, said that an explosion was carried out late Friday evening at the lake’s mouth to release water. By August 23 morning, the water level had receded by about four feet, allowing the Yamuna to flow under the bridge once again.
Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami, who is in Delhi, reviewed the disaster situation over phone with Disaster Management Secretary Vinod Suman. He directed the Garhwal Commissioner to intensify relief operations and ensure adequate assistance in Tharali, Syanachatti, and Dharali.
