Villages destroyed in the 2013 Kedarnath floods are again showing signs of collapse after heavy monsoon rains this year.
Residents in Semi and Bhainsari say cracks are appearing in their rebuilt homes and blame the Singoli Bhatwadi hydro project for worsening soil instability.
Locals allege that funds meant for protective retaining walls were diverted to repair the Kedarnath highway, leaving them exposed to future landslides.
This past monsoon season brought renewed destruction to the Himalayan state of Uttarakhand. As in previous years, several villages were rendered unsafe. Down To Earth recently visited some of these settlements, where displacement is once again under way.
Nearly 12 years after the Kedarnath disaster of June 2013, the village of Semi (Talli) remains scarred and desolate. Perched on the banks of the Mandakini River, in the Ukhimath block of Rudraprayag district along the Kedarnath route (National Highway 107), its residents live in constant fear of being displaced again.
Sitting in her modest house just below the highway, Vimala Devi says she remains anxious. Her home was destroyed in the 2013 floods. While the administration never fully acknowledged the damage, her husband Manohar Lal received Rs 4.25 lakh in compensation and was ordered to vacate the site.
For years, the family lived in a tin shed near the village. Two years ago, they built a two-room house on their remaining patch of land. But another bout of heavy rain struck on the night of August 28-29, 2025, and cracks began to appear in their new home.
“Apart from the compensation, we built these two rooms by taking a loan, but now we’re scared to even live here,” says Vimala. “Whenever it rains heavily, we are haunted by the memories of Kedarnath.”
Just up the road, Uma Devi’s house has also begun to crack. Her husband, Ankit Lal, lost his ancestral home in the 2013 floods. “We also built this house using the compensation and a loan,” she says. “But now it’s developing cracks again.”
According to residents, around 60 houses in Semi Talli and the nearby village of Bhainsari have developed fissures. Both villages, recently incorporated into the Nagar Panchayat under Ward 4, are facing renewed instability.
“The people of our village are once again threatened with displacement,” says Vipin Bisht, husband of councillor Poonam Bisht. “Almost all the houses were damaged in 2013, so people built new ones. But now even those are cracking.”
Following the Kedarnath floods, many villagers blame the Singoli Bhatwadi Hydroelectric Project for worsening the situation. In June 2013, a cloudburst and glacial lake outburst in the Kedarnath region triggered massive floods and landslides that killed thousands and destroyed hundreds of villages, roads, and hydroelectric installations across Uttarakhand. Among them was the 99 MegaWatt Singoli Bhatwadi project, then under construction on the Mandakini River. The project site lies just downstream of Semi and Bhainsari. Initially owned by L&T Power Development, it was later sold to ReNew Power.
When construction resumed in 2015, residents of both villages protested and staged a sit-in at the project site. An agreement reached on July 14, 2015 between the villagers’ struggle committee, the local MLA and the project management stated that proper construction work would resume after April 2016, following technical guidelines for floodplain safety.
The agreement also noted that the project developer had deposited funds in the Chief Minister’s Relief Fund for disaster relief. It further stated that if any damage occurred in the project’s waterlogged area due to construction, and not due to a natural disaster, the company would bear responsibility.
Villagers say the company had promised to build a retaining wall along the Mandakini’s banks to prevent landslides. About Rs 99 crore was reportedly sanctioned, with 65 per cent earmarked for the retaining wall and the rest for highway repairs.
However, residents allege that the administration prioritised roadwork over the wall to ensure the Kedarnath pilgrimage route remained open. “The stones meant for the retaining wall were instead used to line the road,” says one villager. As a result, the Kedarnath highway has begun to sink, and heavy monsoon rains this year have caused new cracks to appear in homes. The administration has since put up landslide warning boards along a one-kilometre stretch of the road.
Former village head Kunwari says: “We demand that step-wise retaining walls be built along the riverbank to ensure safety. Otherwise, this area will again be in danger during the next rains.”
Vipin added: “We’ve complained to the administration about the cracks in our homes, but there’s been no concrete assurance yet. People are afraid of being displaced again.”
Officials have reportedly inspected the area, and the villagers remain hopeful that the administration will finally take meaningful action.