Mussoorie, Aug. 23 -- Uttarakhand government has stepped up efforts to drain water from an artificial lake formed on the Yamuna River in Syanachatti, Uttarkashi, which has led to the closure of the highway to Yamunotri Dham, officials said on Friday. Panni Lal, executive engineer of the irrigation department's Purola division, said the river is currently flowing along the side of the blockage and the water level has receded by nearly one metre. "Work is underway to remove the obstructions from the temporary lake," he said. For the clearance operation, three Poclain machines have been deployed by the irrigation department, while NH Barkot has pressed two Poclains, four JCBs and a compressor into service. The forest department has also provided support vehicles, he said. Revenue officials said 19 hotels and shops, two residential buildings housing 10 families, the GMVN rest house, a cooperative society building, a public toilet, a primary school, the Raj Krishna temple, the Syanachatti police post, an NH bridge, and the Patwari post in the area have been flooded. District magistrate Prashant Arya and superintendent of police Sarita Dobhal visited the site on Friday to review safety measures. Police have erected barricades on both sides of the lake and pilgrims have been halted at safe points such as Barkot and Kharadi until the water is drained. Officials said the lake was formed after heavy debris from the rain-fed Garh Gaad stream in Kukra Khad gorge blocked the Yamuna. Houses, hotels and other low-lying structures have been evacuated as a precaution, while drones are being used to monitor the situation. Chief minister Pushkar Singh Dhami assured residents that the situation would be brought under control soon. He directed disaster management secretary Vinod Kumar Suman to coordinate with the district administration and asked SDRF, NDRF and irrigation teams to work on a "war footing" to clear the obstruction. Suman said swampy conditions were hampering full channelisation of the river. "The water is draining from one side of the river but other options are being explored," he added, urging residents not to pay heed to rumours. Yamunotri MLA Sanjay Dobhal also visited the area and appealed to locals not to panic, assuring them that all necessary safety measures were being taken and that teams from the Central Water Commission are continuously monitoring the Yamuna's level at Syanachatti. Officials said the Yamuna touched 1,058.89 metres at Naugaon on Thursday morning, breaching the warning mark of 1,058.74 metres. This prompted Uttarakhand Jal Vidyut Nigam Ltd (UJVNL) authorities to shut down three downstream powerhouses - Dhakrani, Dhalipur and Byasi in Dehradun district. "Operations have been halted as a precaution, but there is no threat to the Byasi project. We are monitoring the situation closely," said UJVNL public relations officer Vimal Dabral. By Friday evening, the Yamuna's level was recorded at 452.32 metres at Dakpathar, below the warning mark of 455.37 metres....