Mussoorie, July 3 -- The Char Dham Yatra witnessed a sharp decline in pilgrim turnout between June 25 and July 2 as the onset of the monsoon season triggered widespread landslides and roadblocks across the state, according to an official data. The pilgrimage, which draws thousands of devotees annually to the revered shrines of Badrinath, Kedarnath, Gangotri, and Yamunotri, along with Hemkund Sahib and Gaumukh, faced major disruptions due to persistent rainfall. "On June 25, the yatra recorded a turnout of 47,630 pilgrims. However, with rains intensifying from June 26, numbers began to dip steadily. By July 2, the total daily pilgrim count dropped to 17,321 - a staggering 63.64% fall within a week," according to the data by the State Emergency Control centre. It further stated that Badrinath, which recorded the highest daily footfall of 19,250 on June 25, recorded just 7,391 pilgrims by July 2, reflecting a 61.60% drop. Kedarnath experienced a similar trend, with pilgrim numbers plummeting from 17,568 to 5,275 - nearly a 70% decline. Other shrines such as Gangotri and Hemkund Sahib also saw significant drops of over 50%. Yamunotri was particularly affected, with roads completely blocked due to landslides on July 1 and 2, leading to zero pilgrim arrivals. Gaumukh, a trekking destination near Gangotri, recorded fluctuating numbers with just 7 visitors on June 28 and 91 on July 2. On June 29, the state government suspended the yatra for a day due to continuous downpours and recurring landslides. That day, only 33,802 pilgrims reached the shrines, down from 41,869 the previous day. According to Anoop Nautiyal, founder of the Social Development for Communities (SDC) Foundation, the decline is seasonal and not unexpected. "The drop in pilgrim numbers is primarily due to the monsoon. Landslides and dangerous road conditions make travel risky," he said. Nautiyal noted that in 2023, the Yatra was suspended for nearly 20 days due to similar conditions. Officials said that the total cumulative footfall since the start of the Yatra has reached 3.74 million pilgrims, but the sharp fall in daily numbers last week clearly signals the disruptive impact of monsoon weather....