A flash flood surge through Tamkanala nala on the Jyotirmath-Malari Motor Road in Chamoli district tore away a Bailey bridge on the evening of Monday, 10 August 2026 — and within hours, the Chief Minister's Office of Uttarakhand had activated the full state disaster machinery. Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami personally took stock of the situation and issued a cascade of directives to keep relief moving and people safe.

The Bridge Is Gone — and So Is a Vehicle

The Bailey bridge at Tamkanala, constructed by 123 BRTF, Suraithotha, was completely washed away by the sudden surge, according to Secretary of Disaster Management and Rehabilitation Vinod Kumar Suman. In the same rush of water, a person and a vehicle — a camper — are reported to have been swept away. SDRF and NDRF teams were immediately dispatched to the site. Local administration, police, and all relevant departments are conducting active rescue operations as the situation on the ground continues to be monitored round the clock.

Dhami's Directives: Rations, Medicines, and No Movement Toward Malari

CM Dhami spoke directly with Vinod Kumar Suman after the incident and issued a clear set of orders: relief and rescue operations are the top priority; precautionary measures must be taken in low-lying areas; and all traffic toward Malari on the Jyotirmath-Malari route is to remain completely suspended until conditions normalise. Critically, he directed the administration to ensure that supplies of rations, food, medicines, and essential goods to villages cut off by the bridge collapse do not stop — with alternative routes to be pressed into service if needed. Residents near rivers and streams are to be kept on high alert and, where necessary, moved to safer locations.

SEOC on 24x7 Watch Across Uttarakhand's Sensitive Zones

The State Emergency Operation Centre (SEOC) has been placed on continuous 24×7 monitoring of Chamoli and all other sensitive districts across the state, Secretary Suman confirmed. Coordination with district administration and departmental officers is ongoing, and rescue teams are being activated on demand. The CM's broader instruction to the administration: given the rapidly changing weather across Uttarakhand, stay fully alert and ensure immediate response to any emerging disaster scenario — with uninterrupted surveillance of all sensitive zones.

Uttarakhand's Himalayan terrain makes it one of India's most disaster-prone states. The 2013 Kedarnath floods — which killed thousands — prompted the state to dramatically overhaul its disaster management framework under the Disaster Management Act, 2005, building up SEOC capacity and SDRF deployment protocols that are now being tested again this monsoon season. The Chamoli district, which includes the high-altitude Malari valley near the Indo-China border, is a recurrent flashpoint for cloudbursts and flash floods every monsoon.

The Jyotirmath-Malari road is the only surface link for several remote villages in the upper Chamoli valley — its closure is not just an inconvenience but a lifeline severed. How fast the administration can restore supply chains, and whether the SEOC alerts spread to other districts this week, will define the state's monsoon response record for 2026.