New Delhi, Sep 2 (IANS): A special team of Border Roads Organisation (BRO) comprising 80 personnel along with excavators have been deployed to restore connectivity in the flood-hit Dharchula region in Uttarakhand, the Defence Ministry said on Thursday.

Incessant rainfall, cloud burst and flash floods have led to damages and traffic disruptions on the Pithoragarh-Tawaghat National Highway as a 500m stretch of the road has been washed away.

As it was difficult to take humanitarian aid to the villagers due to inaccessibility, the BRO has already made a foot-track for pedestrians and distributed food packets.

In the last week of August, the remote town of Dharchula in Pithoragarh district witnessed unprecedented rainfall accompanied by flash floods.

Major damage occurred on August 30, when flash floods and cloud burst washed away approximately a 500m stretch of road in Dobat on the Pithoragarh-Tawaghat National Highway, disrupting the communication on this critical stretch of the National Highway.

Responding to the emergent and critical situation, the BRO has deployed a special team from Project Hirak to undertake immediate rehabilitation works and clear the blockages at the earliest.

Presently, a task force of 80 BRO personnel along with a number of excavators and JCBs are working 24x7 to restore connectivity in the area.

Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami visited Dharchula on Monday to review the rehabilitation works after the recent floods and cloud burst on August 30.

The BRO task force commander has briefed the Chief Minister about the breaches on the Pithoragarh-Tawaghat road and the rehabilitation works being undertaken by the BRO.