Authorities have asked schools to stay shut in Dehradun, Tehri, Haridwar and Paudi districts of Uttarakhand as the regional meteorological office has predicted that parts of the hill state will receive heavy rain till September 3, IANS reported.

Heavy to very heavy rainfall is likely at isolated places in the state, especially in Nainital, Champawat, Chamoli, Rudraprayag, Haridwar districts during the next 72 hours, the India Meteorological Department said in a statement on Saturday. “In view of substantial rainfall activity during next two to three days in Uttarakhand, people are advised to be very cautious, especially in low-lying areas of plains of Uttarakhand during next 72 hours,” it added.

The state and national disaster management bodies have been put on high alert. Landslides were reported from Kedarnath, Badrinath and Yamunotri highways. The Ganga river is in spate in Haridwar and people living in Haripurkalan, Kangdi and Gaziwali areas have been asked to shift to safer places, district authorities told IANS.

According to a report in The Tribune, at least 10 people have been killed in rain-related incidents in the state since Thursday. Meanwhile, continuous rainfall and landslides in various parts of the state has led to the formation of a 100-metre long and 50-metre deep lake near Tehri Garhwal-Dehradun border, ANI reported. The district administration has asked people living in the area to leave the place.