Multiple National Highways Closed in Uttarakhand as Landslides Continue

Current Summary

Multiple national highways and roads across Uttarakhand remain closed due to landslides amid heavy rain. An August 19 Tribune report put the toll at 167 roads closed statewide with 130 transformers failed; a more recent August 22 Bhaskar English report cites 107 roads shut and over one lakh people affected as a fresh IMD heavy rain alert is issued for Uttarakhand and 16 Madhya Pradesh districts. A bridge on the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra route in Pithoragarh — identified as the Kulagarh bridge — has collapsed following a landslide, per August 21 reports, with the Indian Army assisting stranded pilgrims. Separate landslides have blocked the Rishikesh-Badrinath highway (NH-7) near Bhallegaon and near Devprayag, NH-707A in Tehri Garhwal was washed away beyond Dimta Bend, and the Mussoorie-Kempty Highway has washed out. Schools were closed in Dehradun, Nainital, Haridwar, Rishikesh, Udham Singh Nagar and Chamoli amid continuing rain and flood alerts, with closures continuing into recent days in affected districts. Uttarakhand Police have warned of continuing high landslide risk as the monsoon persists. A statewide toll of four dead has been reported. It remains unclear whether the change in road-closure numbers reflects actual restoration progress; updated casualty figures, district-wise breakdowns, and restoration timelines have not been disclosed.

What Changed

• 22 Aug, 02:30 am
  Schools were also closed in Udham Singh Nagar and Chamoli districts on August 21 amid the heavy rain alert, in addition to previously reported closures in Dehradun, Nainital, Haridwar and Rishikesh.
• 22 Aug, 01:30 am
  A fresh IMD heavy rain alert covering Uttarakhand and 16 districts of Madhya Pradesh reports 107 roads currently shut in Uttarakhand, with over one lakh people affected statewide, per an August 22 Bhaskar English report. This is an updated snapshot; it is unclear whether the lower road-closure count from the previously reported 167 reflects reopening of some routes or a different counting basis.
• 22 Aug, 12:20 am
  IMD has issued a heavy rain alert for August 22, and schools remain closed today in multiple affected districts as the monsoon system persists, according to an August 21 Sunday Guardian report.
• 21 Aug, 01:40 pm
  IMD has forecast heavy rainfall, thunderstorms and dusty winds across Uttarakhand for August 22, extending the active alert period beyond the August 21 yellow alert already in force amid ongoing highway closures and landslides statewide.
• 21 Aug, 09:20 am
  The bridge that collapsed on the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra route in Pithoragarh has been identified as the Kulagarh bridge. The Indian Army has moved in to assist pilgrims stranded by the collapse, according to an August 21 Prashant News report.
• 21 Aug, 03:21 am
  A Garhwal Post report published August 21 says a landslide has blocked the Rishikesh-Badrinath highway (NH-7) near Bhallegaon, adding to existing disruptions reported on the route.
• 21 Aug, 03:21 am
  A Garhwal Post report published August 21 says the bridge on the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra route in Pithoragarh has collapsed after a landslide, an escalation from earlier reports of bridge damage on the Dharchula-Tawaghat National Highway.
• 20 Aug, 06:41 pm
  A Daily Jagran report published August 20 says schools will remain closed in at least one Uttarakhand district on August 21 as the IMD alert continues.
• 20 Aug, 09:01 am
  The Mussoorie-Kempty Highway has washed out after heavy rain, severely disrupting traffic, per an August 20 Times of India report.
• 20 Aug, 06:31 am
  NH-707A in Tehri Garhwal has been washed away by monsoon rain, a more severe condition than the earlier reported closure, according to an August 20 report.
• 20 Aug, 06:30 am
  NH-07 is blocked near Devprayag due to debris, and NH-707A in Tehri Garhwal is closed beyond Dimta Bend, according to an August 20 ANI report.
• 20 Aug, 04:10 am
  Heavy rain has further swollen rivers across Garhwal, and authorities have urged Char Dham pilgrims and local residents to follow safety guidelines, per an ANI report.
• 20 Aug, 02:30 am
  A landslide has damaged an important bridge on the Dharchula-Tawaghat National Highway in Pithoragarh district, according to an August 19 Pioneer Edge report. This appears to specify the location of the earlier-reported landslide along the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra route that had trapped several travelers.
• 19 Aug, 10:50 pm
  The Ganga has swollen, inundating ghats in Haridwar and Rishikesh, and the Badrinath-Kedarnath National Highway-7 has been disrupted, according to an August 19 HimbuMail report, adding to the list of road and river-related disruptions statewide.
• 19 Aug, 08:40 pm
  Schools remained closed on August 20 across multiple districts including Dehradun, Nainital, Haridwar and Rishikesh amid continuing rain and flood alerts, according to an August 19 Sunday Guardian report.
• 19 Aug, 06:10 pm
  A landslide has struck along the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra route, trapping several travelers, according to an ETV Bharat report published August 19. The report reiterates an earlier statewide toll of four dead amid continuing heavy rain.
• 19 Aug, 05:10 pm
  Schools in Dehradun were ordered closed on August 19 as heavy rain continued, according to a DD News report, which also cited 97 roads blocked — a figure that differs from the previously reported statewide total of 167. It is unclear whether the 97 figure refers to Dehradun district specifically or reflects an updated statewide count; the discrepancy has not been resolved.
• 19 Aug, 04:31 pm
  The number of closed roads across Uttarakhand has risen to 167, and 130 electricity transformers have failed amid continuing monsoon rain, according to an August 19 Tribune report. IMD has issued a yellow alert in effect through August 21, a shift from the red alert reported earlier. Updated casualty figures and district-wise breakdowns remain undisclosed.
• 19 Aug, 02:10 pm
  Uttarakhand Police have issued a warning of continuing high landslide risk across the state amid the ongoing monsoon rain, according to a WION report published August 19.
• 19 Aug, 09:20 am
  Rediff reports that swollen rivers have begun flooding streets in parts of Uttarakhand as heavy rain continues, compounding the highway closures already reported.
• 19 Aug, 05:30 am
  IMD has issued a red alert for heavy rain covering parts of Uttarakhand, along with Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh, according to a Bhaskar English report published August 19, an escalation from the previously reported orange alert. Several rivers were reported crossing danger marks amid the ongoing rain spell. Specific Uttarakhand districts under the red alert and any fresh casualty or closure figures have not been disclosed.
• 18 Aug, 04:51 pm
  A Daily Pioneer report published August 18 puts the statewide toll from ongoing rain-related incidents at four dead and eight rescued from swollen rivers, the first specific casualty figure disclosed for the current spell.
• 18 Aug, 10:41 am
  A separate report (Awaz The Voice, August 18) puts the IMD orange alert at four districts and cites a cumulative eight people rescued in rain-related incidents across Uttarakhand, consistent with rescues already reported at Rishikesh and among trekking students.
• 18 Aug, 04:01 am
  ANI and Republic World report that 97 roads remain blocked in Dehradun district as heavy rain continues, with schools shut for August 18 amid the ongoing IMD orange alert for very heavy rain in the hills.
• 18 Aug, 03:30 am
  Signal detected: Multiple National Highways Closed in Uttarakhand as Landslides Continue