Vaishno Devi, Char Dham, Hemkund — major pilgrimages on hold amid floods

Unrelenting rainfall and rising risk of landslides have forced authorities in both Jammu and Kashmir and Uttarakhand to suspend some of India’s most significant religious pilgrimages, including the Char Dham Yatra, the Hemkund Sahib Yatra, and the Vaishno Devi pilgrimage.

The measures were taken in light of worsening weather alerts and growing safety concerns for lakhs of devotees.

In Uttarakhand, the government has officially suspended the Char Dham Yatra and Hemkund Sahib Yatra until 5 September, following red and orange alerts issued by the India Meteorological Department (IMD). According to officials, the decision was made proactively to avoid casualties amid forecasts of extremely heavy rain across the region.

“The decision was taken as a precautionary measure with extremely heavy rainfall forecast for the coming days,” said Vinay Shankar Pandey, secretary to chief minister Pushkar Singh Dhami and commissioner of Garhwal Division.

The IMD has placed Dehradun, Tehri, Pauri, and Haridwar under red alert for 2 September, while an orange alert has been issued for Uttarkashi, Rudraprayag, Chamoli, and Bageshwar. Schools in several districts — including Dehradun, Tehri, Pauri and Champawat — have been ordered shut.

At a high-level review, CM Dhami described the coming days as “challenging” and instructed authorities to maintain round-the-clock alertness. He also ordered strict monitoring of river levels at all times, citing increased landslide and flood risks.

Katra hotels cleared

In Jammu and Kashmir, the situation is equally precarious. On 31 August, the Katra administration ordered the evacuation of all pilgrims from hotels and dharamshalas due to dangerous weather conditions and landslide threats near the Vaishno Devi shrine.

“Heavy rains and inclement weather conditions have resulted in massive landslides in the Katra sub-division in recent days, especially near Balini bridge and near Shan temple at Kadmal besides the sinking of roads at a few spots, making a number of places vulnerable to future landslides and damages,” the order read..

"This has the potential to endanger human lives (and) keeping in view the number of pilgrims visiting Katra town for Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Yatra it is imperative to assess the safety of the structures of the commercial establishments located in Katra for the overall safety and security of the pilgrims," it added.

Katra sub-divisional magistrate Piyush Dhotra issued the directive, emphasising immediate relocation of pilgrims staying in commercial establishments. The area has seen significant road sinking and slope instability in recent days, raising fears of further accidents along the route.

Meanwhile, parts of Jammu and Kashmir continue to grapple with the aftermath of flash floods, Unrelenting rainfall and rising risk of landslides have forced authorities in both Jammu and Kashmir and Uttarakhand to suspend some of India’s most significant religious pilgrimages, including the Char Dham Yatra, the Hemkund Sahib Yatra, and the Vaishno Devi pilgrimage. The measures were taken in light of worsening weather alerts and growing safety concerns for lakhs of devotees.

With PTI inputs