More rain predicted, Kumaon braces for floods

ALMORA: All schools in Kumaon region were closed on Saturday on the order of the administration, as rivers in the area swoll after incessant rains. An alert was sounded for people living near rivers.
Continuous and heavy rain in the last three days had resulted in blockage of roads, and schools were closed for two days in Pithoragarh, Nainital and Bageshwar districts.
Throughout the Kumaon region, people living near riverbanks were asked to move to higher places. The administration of Nainital district alerted tourists and asked them to stay informed about landslides, before heading on trips.
People living in the hilly areas in Bageshwar district were also warned of predictions of heavy rain in the next two days.
Munsiyari, among the most hard-to-access areas in Pithoragarh district, remains on high alert. The area has seen two landslides in the recent past, in 2013 and 2011, both of which claimed many lives.
Schools in Almora district too were closed on Saturday. Two houses were damaged in Lamagara area of Almora district.
One woman was stuck in an island that formed after a river in Shaelde area swelled.
The main Almora-Halwani road was blocked by large rocks that slipped off the hillside. District magistrate of Almora Vinod Kumar said, “The situation in the district is under control now. Nevertheless, we have alerted people about the climate.”