Twenty pilgrims have died on their way to the Char Dham yatra, which began last week. This spate of sudden deaths is raising concerns among the authorities, and the government is likely to limit the number of pilgrims.
Yamunotri and Gangotri in Uttarkashi district, Kedarnath in Rudraprayag, and Badrinath in Chamoli are the four pilgrim sites included in the yatra.
During the yatra, which began on May 3, 10 pilgrims died while travelling to Yamunotri, 6 to Kedarnath, 3 to Gangotri, and 1 to Badrinath, according to state health department data.
According to officials, the majority of those who died were over 60 years old, had heart problems, and had difficulty getting to the shrines, which were located at altitudes ranging from 10,000 to 12,000 feet.
Dr Shailja Bhatt, Director General (DG), Medical Health and Family Welfare, said that the number of pilgrims taking the Char Dham yatra this year is much higher, owing to the fact that the yatra was cancelled in 2020 and 2021 due to the Covid-19 pandemic, and there was also no upper limit on the number of people travelling the pilgrim sites for the first time.
All of the pilgrims who have died in the district have been traveling on foot. Eleven of the 13 pilgrims who died in Yamunotri and Gangotri this week were over 60 years old, and two were between 45 and 50.
Dilip Jawalkar, Secretary Tourism, said that the government is constantly making arrangements for the living, food, and health of the pilgrims, and that the passengers coming without registration with their companions will not be sent to the Dhams.
“In the coming days, the government is likely to limit the number of devotees coming on the yatra,” Jawalkar said.
On the unusually high number of deaths this year at the Char Dham Yatra, Dr Pradeep Bhardwaj of Six Sigma Healthcare, which provides free medical services along the pilgrimage route, said that people were flocking to the high-altitude temples in large numbers without acclimating beforehand. “They are travelling from low altitudes to elevations of 10,000-12,000 feet. How will they cope with such a drastic change in climate?” Bhardwaj was quoted saying by PTI.
“Pilgrims must undergo a mandatory health check. Only those who are medically fit to travel at such a high altitude should be permitted to do so. We are prepared to provide pilgrims with a health checkup. He added, “We have specialist doctors with us who can do it.”
Around 38 lakh pilgrims participated in the yatra in 2019, with over 90 pilgrims dying. During the yatras in 2017 and 2018, 112 and 102 pilgrims died, respectively.
With agency inputs.