Cloudbursts in Uttarakhand: Badrinath highway blocked, catastrophic 2013 floods revisited

A huge cloudburst in Uttarakhand's Rudraprayag, leading to suspension of traffic at Rudraprayag-Badrinath highway, was reported yesterday.

The cloudburst caused a mudslide which washed into the farms of the local farmers.

With overflowing of rivers causing water to enter into the towns and several tourists and pilgrims left stranded, flashes of the catastrophic flood of 2013 were revisited.

While frequent cloudbursts in Uttarakhand are common in the season of Monsoon, the occurrence in summer season shortly after the severe forest fire has caught government attention.

Uttarakhand government has initiated disaster management efforts to control the situation in the region.