Nineteen employees of the National Hydroelectric Power Corporation (NHPC) were trapped inside the powerhouse of the Dhauliganga Hydroelectric Project in Pithoragarh district on Sunday after a landslide blocked both normal and emergency tunnels.
According to officials, continuous rainfall triggered the landslide near the project site in Ealagarh, close to Dharchula, leaving the entry routes completely choked with debris, news agency PTI reported.
Dharchula Deputy District Magistrate Jitendra Verma confirmed that Border Roads Organisation (BRO) machines have been deployed to clear the obstruction. “Machines have been deployed to remove the debris, and the way will be cleared by evening, after which all the workers will be able to come out,” Verma said, as quoted by PTI.
Despite intermittent landslides, the clearing operation is ongoing with JCB machines, he added. Verma emphasised that all workers are safe and would be evacuated once access is restored. Power generation from the project continues without interruption.
Purported visuals of the landslide have surfaced on social media.
Dharchula–Tawaghat National Highway remains closed after a major landslide near the NHPC power house yesterday, which was caught on camera. The landslide brought down a massive portion of the hillside, blocking the road and impacting the Dhauliganga hydropower project tunnel.… https://t.co/w60QIRTekv pic.twitter.com/uOXrcGX5tn
— Kumaon Jagran (@KumaonJagran) August 31, 2025
भारी बारिश के कारण पिथौरागढ़ के धारचूला में एलागाड़ के पास एनएचपीसी की धौली गंगा जल विद्युत परियोजना की टनल को गंभीर नुकसान पहुंचा है। भारी भूस्खलन से टनल का ऊपरी हिस्सा बुरी तरह क्षतिग्रस्त हो गया, जिसमें रिसता पानी साफ दिखाई दे रहा है। तस्वीरों में क्षति की गंभीरता स्पष्ट है,… pic.twitter.com/Hj34KrqIvb
— bhUpi Panwar (@askbhupi) August 31, 2025
Missing Persons in Rudraprayag
Elsewhere in the state, rescue teams searched through knee-deep debris in Chenagad area of Rudraprayag on Saturday, a day after torrential rains and cloudbursts devastated several districts. Eleven people remain missing — eight from Chenagad, including four locals and four Nepali labourers, and three from Bageshwar.
According to PTI, officials confirmed that six people have died and 11 are unaccounted for after heavy rain, landslides and flash floods struck Chamoli, Rudraprayag, Bageshwar and Tehri on Friday. More than 10 shops and roadside eateries in Chenagad were washed away, leaving roads severed.
“Our focus is to restore road access to the affected areas so that heavy machines can be moved there to clear the rubble,” Rudraprayag District Magistrate Prateek Jain said. “In the absence of heavy machinery, it would be difficult to reach those trapped under the debris, hanging on to their lives.”
Trail of Destruction
Chamoli, Rudraprayag, and Bageshwar districts reported five deaths on Friday, while the body of a 10-year-old boy was recovered from a river in Dehradun. Uttarakhand has witnessed multiple calamities this monsoon — including the August 5 flash flood in Uttarkashi’s Kheer Ganga river that wiped out much of Dharali village.
According to the Uttarakhand State Disaster Management Authority, disasters since April have left 74 dead, 107 injured and 95 missing.
Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami reviewed relief efforts on Saturday. “All precautionary measures should be taken in the calamity-prone areas to ensure the safety of lives and properties,” he directed, praising ground teams for their swift response, as per PTI.
Jain added that relief and rehabilitation work in affected areas has been given top priority.
Livestock, Power Supply Hit
The devastation also impacted livestock. Chief Veterinary Officer Ashish Rawat reported that 15 animals, including cows, buffaloes and bulls, were missing in Tal Jaman village, while 15 injured animals were treated on site. An 11-member veterinary team has been deployed for further care.
Nodal officer Prem Singh Rawat said Chenagad was the worst hit, with rescue teams still searching for the eight missing people.
Power supply was disrupted in Tal Jaman and Dungar villages. To address the situation, the UREDA department distributed 25 solar lights, while food and ration kits were dispatched to affected families.
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