Downpour alters course of 4 key rivers in Uttarakhand

Heavy rains that lashed Uttarakhand last week have led to four prominent rivers in the state to alter their course, prompting the forest department to rope in IIT-Roorkee to conduct a study on the river channels and the impact of this change.

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Dehradun: An analysis by the forest department following devastating rains since October 17 found that swollen rivers in Kumaon — Kosi, Gaula, Nandhaur and Dabka — have changed their course.

In some areas, they have started flowing towards human habitations while in others, the change has adversely affected works of the forest department such as mining and patrolling.

Tejaswini Patil, chief conservator of forests, western circle (Uttarakhand) told TOI, “The change in course of rivers is a concern for us. We have asked IIT-Roorkee to study the changes so we can build embankments on the river after a proper technical assessment.” According to Patil, instead of meandering through its usual channels, the waters of rain-fed rivers are now flowing across its traditional riverbed, which, in many cases, has been encroached upon.