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Gangotri and Yamunotri Temples Face Serious Risk of Landslide and Flash Floods

Gangotri and Yamunotri Temples in Uttarakhand are facing serious risks of landslide and flash foods. The damage that was caused due to heavy rain and flash flood in June 2014 is yet to be properly managed.
The Tribune reports 
The temple committee and priests say a disaster waiting to happen. Cracks have appeared on Kalindi Parvat just above the Yamunotri temple triggering landslides. Boulders hitting the main structure of the temple are giving anxious moments to priests and devotees, says Purshotam Uniyal a priest at the Yamunotri temple. 
The situation in Gangotri is the same. The temple here is facing persistent threat from the rubble in the Bhairon Jap nullah.
“The Yamunotri temple is facing a double threat — debris falling on the structure from Kalindi Parvat and the exposed ghats of the river due to last year’s flashfloods,” secretary of the Yamunotri temple committee Purshotam Uniyal said.
“Landslides on Kalindi Parvat and boulders hitting the temple since 2004 have weakened its structure. The Yamuna has also changed its course posing a threat to the temple’s foundation,” added. Purshotam Uniyal.
He said the administration has failed to install a railing that was damaged during floods last year. The danger of Yamunotri temple being washed away is imminent if the sidewall to prevent the river from entering the temple is not constructed, added Uniyal. 
Harish Semwal, a temple priest at Gangotri, said rainwater enters the temple complex due to the expansion of the Bhairon Jhap nullah. In winter, snow covers the temple resulting in cracks in the main structure. The Bhairon Jhap nullah is full of debris due to last year floods posing a threat to the shrine, he added