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Flashflood in Uttarakhand,
India

June 2013

Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh in Indian Himalayas hit by devastating flash floods

The Himalayan states of Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh in India were hit by torrential rain, landslides and flash floods on 14-17th June 2013. The erratic weather conditions were attributed to early monsoons in Northern India. River Ganges and its major tributaries - Alaknanda and Bhagirathi swelled up, causing widespread destruction in Uttarakhand. Kinnaur district in Himachal Pradesh, received the highest rainfall in 20 years. With no warning and time to evacuate, there were a large number of fatalities (5000 dead, and over 4700 missing) and much distress among inhabitants and the many visitors to the region. Extensive damage was caused to the cultivable land, horticulture crops and irrigation infrastructure and water supply systems. Public infrastructure such as roads and vital bridges, administrative buildings, schools and health centres, were badly damaged, and thereby basic amenities and services of education, healthcare, communication, power, etc., also severely compromised. Hence, a sustained initiative for rehabilitation of these communities is imperative.

Immediate Relief
Our ground presence in Chamoli, Uttarkashi, Rudraprayag (Uttarakhand) and Kinnaur (Himachal Pradesh) through our various field offices and staff helped us respond promptly to the emergency and undertake rapid relief operations much before accessibility was restored and external help was available. Pragya India Head Office at the national capital region mobilized and transported relief material to the affected areas where the field staff... Read More

The Himalayan states of Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh in India were hit by torrential rain, landslides and flash floods on 14-17th June 2013. The erratic weather conditions were attributed to early monsoons in Northern India. River Ganges and its major tributaries - Alaknanda and Bhagirathi swelled up, causing widespread destruction in Uttarakhand. Kinnaur district in Himachal Pradesh, received the highest rainfall in 20 years. With no warning and time to evacuate, there were a large number of fatalities (5000 dead, and over 4700 missing) and much distress among inhabitants and the many visitors to the region. Extensive damage was caused to the cultivable land, horticulture crops and irrigation infrastructure and water supply systems. Public infrastructure such as roads and vital bridges, administrative buildings, schools and health centres, were badly damaged, and thereby basic amenities and services of education, healthcare, communication, power, etc., also severely compromised. Hence, a sustained initiative for rehabilitation of these communities is imperative.

Immediate Relief
Our ground presence in Chamoli, Uttarkashi, Rudraprayag (Uttarakhand) and Kinnaur (Himachal Pradesh) through our various field offices and staff helped us respond promptly to the emergency and undertake rapid relief operations much before accessibility was restored and external help was available. Pragya India Head Office at the national capital region mobilized and transported relief material to the affected areas where the field staff ensured its effective distribution, at times even taking significant risks to reach out to those in need. We supplied food to relief camps and medicines to health department. Blankets, tarpaulins, tents, water purification tablets, medicines, ration, hygiene kits were reaching remote villages and stationery items, tents and teaching aids were provided to schools damaged by the flood. Pragya staff also provided coordination & IT support at the District Administration facilitated Control Room at Joshimath. 


Response & Rehabilitation
From the onset of its relief operations, PRAGYA staff undertook continuous area specific need assessments, which helped facilitate the formulation of effective rehabilitation strategies that were created with inputs from key stakeholders. PRAGYA was running Mobile Health Vans in 2 districts to address health concerns and also conducted 240 health camps along with district Health departments in worst-affected areas. Realizing the constraints of potable water & sanitation in the flood-affected region and its serious fallouts, PRAGYA, with support from its donors, installed 61 prefabricated toilet blocks and 89 water storage tanks and filtration systems. 141 households who had lost their earning members were provided polyhouses and seeds to enable them to get more income from a little patch of land. 

Resilience building
Pragya is currently engaged in building resilience in the target communities through capacity building and ecosystem-based disaster risk reduction initiatives.

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PRAGYA INDIA
83, Sector-44, Institutional Area, Gurgaon-122003, India; + 91 124 4947000
pragyain@pragya.org

PRAGYA UK
The Foundry, 17, Oval Way, London SE11 5RR, UK; +44 20 3770 0393
pragyauk@pragya.org

 

Support a cause

Rebuilding lives of flashflood affected families in Uttarakhand

We have reached over 28000 survivors of the 2013 Himalayan flashfloods through our extensive emergency relief work and also our rehabilitation activities.

Join our efforts as we continue to reach more flood affected people through our rehabilitation operations in Chamoli, Uttarkashi, Rudraprayag and Pithoragarh districts in Uttarakhand, India.

How can I Help?
Affected area

For information on our relief and rehabilitation efforts, please read:

Assessment Summary

Outreach Report

Response/Rehabilitation Needs

  • Medicines and Mobile Medical Unit for health camps
  • Water tanks and filters / purifiers
  • Community and School Toilets
  • School building construction and learning aids
  • Greenhouse for vegetable cultivation
  • Support for high value cash crop farming
  • Tools / equipment for crafts centre
  • Spice processing units
  • Helpline service for accessing govt support

SHOW THAT YOU CARE

Survivors of "the Himalayan Tsunami" need your generous support. Reach out.

Pragya India is a registered charity with FCRA clearance. All donations from India would be exempt under section 80-G of Income Tax Act of 1961.
Pragya UK is registered as a Charity with the Charity Commission for England and Wales.

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THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT!

Amritvani 

BP India 

CDRN & Aidmatrix Foundation 

Centre for Social Research 

Chambal Fertilisers & Chemicals Ltd 

Change Planet Partners Climate Innovation Foundation (CPPCIF)

Crompton Greaves Ltd.  

DG Global 

Dharampal Satyapal Group 

Ganpati Medicos 

Godfrey Phillips India Team 

HCL Infosystems Ltd. 

Hilton Worldwide 

ITC 

Indian Association of Gastrointestinal Endosurgeons 

JDA Software 

Kanjur SHG, Mumbai 

MAAC Kamla Nagar 

OK Industries 

SRF Foundation 

Tetra Pak 

XLRI 

and

all individual supporters