Dharali, 8 days on: Buried homes, ‘60 missing’, roads gone

Eight days after disaster struck, Dharali remains cut off. Road connectivity is still not restored, and according to locals, around 60 people are still missing – most of them labourers from Bihar, Jharkhand, and Nepal. Rescue work continues, but with no success in finding survivors or the dead. Only one body was recovered in the early hours after the flood.

On August 5, a wall of debris swallowed scores of houses, burying them 50 to 60 feet under. In some places, only the rooftops of three- and four-storey buildings are visible; the rest lie entombed in mud and rock. Several homes now have their first floors submerged in silt, with beds, chairs, and household items pulled from the muck as residents attempt to clean up and make them livable again.

Upstream, a lake formed on the Bhagirathi near Harshil remains undrained, adding to fears of further flooding. Signs of devastation stretch across the entire Uttarkashi–Gangotri highway – mangled roads, landslide scars, and broken bridges marking the path of destruction. The Khir Ganga river, swollen and churning with debris, still roars as a reminder of the disaster’s force.

Reaching Dharali means navigating that destruction. Newslaundry crossed landslide debris, broken mountain trails, and washed-out roadways to get here. In places, 15 feet of rubble clogs the riverbank; iron bridges lie twisted downstream. 

Stay tuned for more updates from the ground. Power our coverage.