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Preliminary Appeal
India - Uttarakhand
Floods & Landslides - IND132
Appeal Target: US$ 1,647,254
Geneva, 25 June 2013
As flood waters are ebbing and the torrential downpours have eased, indications of Uttarakhand's worst natural disaster in 60 years are emerging. The death toll, officially placed at 680 on the basis of the current body count, could be frighteningly higher and estimates are running into many thousands. Over 70,000 people are still missing and the toll could go much higher as the process of recovery of bodies has not yet started in many places that are cut off by the flood waters.
The heavy downpours pushed the Mandakini river beyond its banks, flooding more than 200 villages along the 18 km trek from the road-head to the shrines. As per information from state government in Uttarakhan, an estimated 30,000 pilgrims and residents are still trapped in areas where the army search and rescue teams are yet to reach.
Many of those marooned are pilgrims to the Char Dhams - Badrinath, Kedarnath, Gangotri and Yamunotri. According to Char Dham Yatri Sangathan (Pilgrims’ Committee) around 25,000 pilgrims are trapped in Damta alone (70 km from Yamunotri) since Sunday, 16 June 2013 More than 60 villages have been flattened in the vicinity and 90 dharamshalas that shelter pilgrims during the May-June peak season have been completely destroyed.
As rescue work in the hill state continues with government pressing more manpower for relief and rescue operations, more bodies are expected to be found both among pilgrims and local villagers whose houses have been washed away. Assessing the magnitude of the loses, both in terms of lives and houses destroyed/damaged, roads and other infrastructure, is an exercise that will take more time. The priority for the authorities at the moment is to rescue the stranded people trapped at different locations and provide urgently needed basic relief to those most in need.
ACT India Forum members, Church's Auxiliary for Social Action (CASA) and the Lutheran World Service India Trust (LWSIT) continue to assess the situation and are planning to assist the most vulnerable of those affected through provision of most urgently needed items such as food, non-food and shelter during the crisis phase along with livelihood restoration activities to reduce further risks and vulnerability among affected families.
For the full appeal document, please click here.
