Makeshift Jaulljibi Bridge that connects India and Nepal. This century-old bridge was washed away in the floods last year and was rebuilt (Photo by Soma Basu)
Half of the helipad caved in at Teejam village in Pithoragarh district during the floods last year. Locals allege that when they requested the district magistrate (DM) to carry out the flood protection work, the DM stated that no such action will take place in Teejam now. People are fearful that similar cave-ins could occur after the arrival of the monsoons (Photo by Soma Basu)
Government’s failure to rebuild the 19 km trekking path that leads to Hemkunt Sahib, a Gurudwara in Chamoli district, a few pilgrim groups have dug the snow haphazardly to make way. “In the area that is landslide prone and where the ice is still shifting, people have just dug the snow so that they could reach the Gurudwara. What if the sheet shifts or there is an avalanche? It is a disaster waiting to happen,” says Vijay Bamola, an activist who recently returned from Hemkunt Sahib (Photo by Soma Basu)
People throng at the Kedarnath temple on the day its doors were opened to the public for the first time since the disaster. It was the only structure not washed away or damaged when the floods swept through the Kedar Valley (Photo by Lakki Rawat)
Repairing of the Badrinath highway has not been completed despite the Chardham Yatra for the current year reaching its peak. The Modi government had recently ensured that safe passage to pilgrims during the Chardham Yatra and Amarnath Yatra would be made a priority (Photo by Soma Basu)
People have to risk their lives every day to fetch rations. According to police records, in April and May this year, six people died while travelling from one village to another in the Dharchula and Munsiary subdivisions. Immediately after the disaster, districts such as Rudraprayag and Lamgondi received rotten grains and bleaching powder instead of the rice and flour that they were promised (Photo by Soma Basu)
A landslide would be enough to wipe out the entire village of Sumdum in Pithoragarh district. People live in constant fear of the mountains which have now developed cracks. (Photo by Soma Basu)
Before the cleaning began, the Kedarnath temple buried in snow (Photo by Lakki Rawat)
The Uttrakhand diasater has also had a huge impact on the influx of tourists and pilgrims. Badrinath, which usually is visited by around 20,000 people, this year will see just 200 (Photo by Soma Basu)
The River Dhauliganga flows in the location where once there was a village called Sobla (in Pithoragarh district). Several such villages have disappeared after the Uttarakhand catastrophe (Photo by Soma Basu)
The snow-capped peak in Pithoragarh, according to locals, encompasses several active landslide regions (Photo by Soma Basu)
Since the disaster, Ravinder Rawat’s village, Gaundhar, has no electricity, water, or navigable roads. He says the village is at a distance of 7 kilometres from the last motorable road at Rasi. The angry residents of Gaundhar had boycotted the panchayat as well as Lok Sabha elections this year (Photo by Soma Basu)
This picture illustrates the farcical flood protection work in Lambagar. The level of the water during the disaster was as high as the broken house seen in the picture (Photo by Soma Basu)
Fed up with the government’s empty promises and inadequate rehabilitation efforts, people have returned to reside in broken houses and makeshift camps. It was reported that the families that had the funds to bribe officers received their pukka houses whereas the majority of affected individuals had nowhere to go (Photo by Soma Basu)
A young boy points to the cracks on the houses in Sumdum, serving as a reminder to the tragedy that struck. The then chief minister, Vijay Bahuguna, had promised Rs 3,000 to those who had been displaced due to the floods but without a proper rehabilitation policy, this promise remains hollow (Photo by Soma Basu)
After the disaster, people have to travel an arduous 19 kilometres to reach Kedarnath. Their dedication, however, remains unfazed. (Photo by Lakki Rawat)
The boulder due to which the 1,000 year old Kedarnath temple was saved from damage during the deluge is now worshipped by locals (photo by Lakki Rawat)
