
A committee has been established to investigate the causes of the Dharali disaster in Uttarakhand, which occurred on August 5, 2025.
The team, including geologists, will submit a report within a week.
Rescue operations face challenges due to deep debris and damaged roads, while the death toll remains uncertain, with only one confirmed fatality.
A committee has been formed to look into the causes of the disaster that occurred at Dharali in Uttarakhand’s Uttarkashi district on August 5, 2025.
Chief Secretary Anand Bardhan directed the disaster management and rehabilitation secretary on August 9 evening to send a team of geologists to Dharali for probing the causes of the disaster.
Disaster Management Secretary Vinod Kumar Suman said a letter has been sent to the director of the geology and mining department to send a three-member team to the area. This team will submit its report to the government in a week.
People in Dharali need shelter, according to Madhavendra Rawat, an apple orchardist and social worker from Harshil.
Rawat told Down To Earth (DTE) that the debris in Dharali market is 40-50 feet deep. It is thus almost impossible to carry out a rescue operation in a normal manner. Digging is being done wherever sniffer dogs are feeling any sign of life. Apart from this, thermal imaging and cameras that can locate victims are also being used.
Five days have passed since the devastation in Dharali due to the overflowing of the Kheer Ganga river. But the challenges of relief and rescue operations have not diminished. Meanwhile, the death toll in this tragedy has surprisingly ‘decreased’. Officially, only one person has died in this incident so far.
The press statements issued by the Uttarkashi district administration and the state government’s disaster control centre contain detailed information about the rescue operations. But there are no answers yet to the two biggest questions. First, how many people have lost their lives in this disaster and second, how many are missing.
After the tragedy on August 5, the district magistrate of Uttarkashi had confirmed that four people had died in the accident. On August 6, the state disaster control centre issued a press note stating that only two people had died. On August 9, this number shrank to one.
DTE spoke to Uttarkashi’s district disaster officer Shardul Gusain, who said only one person has been confirmed dead so far. When he was told that initially four and later two deaths were confirmed, he said only one person’s body has been recovered so far.
When asked how many people are missing, he expressed his inability to answer the question and said he cannot make this estimate without any basis. Therefore, nothing can be said about this right now.
It remains a big challenge to fully start rescue operations in Dharali because the roads leading to it are broken.
According to a press statement issued by the emergency operations centre in Uttarkashi at 2 pm on August 9, while the Gangotri National Highway had been restored beyond Gangnani to Nag Mandir (Limchagad), it was blocked at the following places:
1. A 30-metre bridge has been damaged near Nag Mandir (Limchagad) ahead of Gangnani. The construction of a bailey bridge there is almost 50 per cent complete. If the weather remains normal, it will be completed by the evening of August 10.
2. The road is damaged due to erosion by the Bhagirathi river near Sonagadh and Dabrani.
3. Debris has fallen on about 350 metres of the National Highway near Harshil and Dharali, of which 200 metres has been cleared and 150 metres is yet to be done.
The statement also mentions the number of people evacuated from Harshil. Nine hundred and forty-seven people have been rescued so far. Of these, 586 have been taken to Matli, 249 to Chinyalisaur and 112 to Jolly Grant, Dehradun.
Journalists from various channels and news media, who went to cover the Dharali tragedy, are sharing the difficulties they faced in reaching ground zero on social media. Some said they reached there by walking 30-35-40 kilometres, while others shared videos of crossing streams by barely balancing on wooden logs.
Meanwhile, on August 9 evening, Congress state president Karan Mahara said in a Facebook post, “For two days, the administration did not allow me to go beyond Limchagad. Not only me, but also those journalists who have the courage to show the truth were stopped. At the same time, the government’s “favorite” journalists were sent to Dharali by helicopter, so that their pictures and reports remain painted in the government’s desired colours.”
On August 9 evening, Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami said the priority of the state government was to take people to safe places. Despite bad weather, more than 1,000 people have been rescued safely so far, including locals as well as pilgrims from all over the country.
The chief minister said the state government will provide rations for the next six months to affected families. Immediate assistance of Rs 5 lakh will be released for the rehabilitation/displacement of those whose houses have been completely damaged or destroyed due to the disaster.
The government will also assess the damage caused to Dharali’s apple orchards due to the disaster.
Dhami said along with Dharali, other places in the state will also get help. People whose houses have been damaged in Saanji and Bankura villages of Pauri will also be given assistance up to Rs 5 lakh.