Four months after Dharali disaster, 147 bodies still buried under debris: Colonel Ajay Kothiyal
Dehradun (PTI): BJP leader Colonel (retired) Ajay Kothiyal has expressed regret that even four months after the cloudburst in Dharali of Uttarkashi district, the bodies of 147 people buried under the debris could not be recovered.
"If the Army rescued seven out of 10 soldiers buried under the debris in Harshil, then why can't we rescue the 147 people buried in Dharali?" he asked while participating in a discussion at the 'World Summit on Disaster Management' organised in Dehradun by Uttarakhand State Council for Science and Technology two days ago.
Kothiyal alleged that nearly four months after the natural calamity, Dharali is still in tatters.
Instead of finding proper ways for rehabilitation of the people there, disaster management officials, geologists, scientists and environmental experts are finding excuses to avoid the challenges, he alleged.
On August 5 this year, a massive cloudburst over Dharali village in Uttarkashi district of Uttarakhand resulted in devastating floods and mudslides, nearly erasing the village and causing significant loss to life and property.
The opposition Congress said the statement of Colonel Kothiyal, who was famed for his commendable work during rescue and search operation after the Kedarnath disaster, exposed the BJP-led state government, and demanded an answer from Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami.
The ruling BJP also said the statement should be considered seriously and appropriate action should be taken.
After the disaster, the state government had said that one person died and 68 others went missing in the massive flood in Kheergad due to cloudburst in Dharali.
"So far, not a single spot in Dharali has been worked on. Forget construction, some effort should be made. Houses are buried there, my children's degrees are lying there, my wife's mangalsutra is buried there. How can I abandon that place? We cannot tell our 147 people that we will leave them," Colonel Kothiyal said.
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At 44.2 degrees Celsius, Akola sees day's highest temperature in India; parts of Maharashtra sizzle
Nagpur/Mumbai (PTI): Parts of Maharashtra are reeling under intense heat, with Akola city in the Vidarbha region recording the maximum temperature of 44.2 degrees Celsius on Wednesday, the highest in the country for the day, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said.
Along with Akola, three other cities in the state - Amravati (44), Wardha (43.9) and Nagpur (43.4) - occupied the top four spots in the country in terms of the highest maximum temperature for the day, it said.
Officials said mercury levels are set to go up and heatwave conditions will prevail over most districts of Vidarbha.
Anantapur in Andhra Pradesh was also at the fourth place with 43.4 degrees Celsius, as per the information provided by the IMD's Nagpur centre.
These places were followed by Solapur, which saw the maximum temperature of 43.3 degree Celsius, Malegaon (in Nashik) 43.2 and Beed in Maharashtra 43.1 degrees Celsius, all in Maharashtra.
Prayagraj in Uttar Pradesh recorded the maximum temperature of 43 degrees Celsius and Rajnandgaon in Chhattisgarh saw 43 degrees Celsius, the IMD said.
Talking to PTI, Dr Praveen Kumar, a scientist at the IMD's Nagpur centre, said Akola has been recording the highest maximum temperature in the country since the last two-three days.
The IMD issued a warning that heatwave conditions are likely to develop in Akola, Amravati, Wardha, Nagpur, Yavatmal, Washim, Buldhana, Chandrapur and Bhandara districts of Vidarbha in the next five days, he said.
"In the coming four to five days, there will be no respite from the heat and temperatures will continue to rise in Vidarbha. The reason is that there is an anti-cyclonic circulation existing at the height of 3.1 km and above from the mean sea level over Maharashtra and adjoining area," Kumar said.
As per the IMD's predictions, the maximum temperature is expected to go down from April 21, according to him.
The district administration of Wardha has directed all the schools to remain shut on Thursday in view of the extreme heat.
Most parts of western Maharashtra and Marathwada also witnessed the temperature soaring above 40 degrees Celsius.
Sangli recorded 41.8 degrees Celsius, Baramati 40.2, Parbhani 42, Jalgaon 42.3, Ahilyanagar 41.9, Dharashiv 41 and Satara 40 degrees Celsius, it said.
Although the temperature in coastal districts of the state was below 40 degrees Celsius, humidity coupled with heat added to people's woes.
Ratnagiri recorded 32.8 degrees Celsius, Santacruz observatory in Mumbai (suburbs) 34.5 degrees Celsius, Colaba observatory of Mumbai (island city) recorded 34.2 degrees Celsius.
The IMD has issued a yellow alert with hot and humid conditions for the coastal districts of Palghar, Mumbai, Thane, Ratnagiri, Raigad and Sindhudurg.
A yellow alert with a heatwave warning has also been issued for Sangli, Solapur, Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, Jalna, Parbhani, Hingoli, Akola, Amravati and Wardha.
The IMD grades the severity of any weather system through colour-coded alerts - green (no warning), yellow (be aware), orange (be prepared) and red (take action).
Meanwhile, an expert from Vasantrao Naik Agriculture University in Parbhani told PTI that the heat wave conditions will continue to prevail in parts of the Marathwada region, comprising eight districts, for the next 48 to 72 hours.
The temperature here can go up by 4 to 5 degrees during this period, he said.
"When the temperature rises up by around 4.5 degrees Celsius, it is considered a heat wave. Such a rise in temperature is most likely to be recorded in 4-5 districts of Marathwada," agrometeorologist Kailas Dakhore told PTI.
An alert has been issued by the government agencies about this weather change. People in Nanded district have been advised not to step out of homes during afternoon hours unless it is very necessary, another official said.
