Stunning Win For Mumbai Juniors in Champions Trophy

GLACIAL BURST ON NANDA DEVI
Vidhatri Deoli
Dehradun, Uttarakhand
February 8, 2021
Over 125 missing as Hydel projects under construction on Rishiganga,
Dhauliganga Rivers have swept away.
Seven people were killed and over 125 reported missing after an
avalanche triggered by a "glacial burst" on Nanda Devi caused flash
floods on February 7 in the Rishiganga and Dhauliganga rivers in
Chamoli district of Uttarakhand.
As details were still being known, the number of missing people could
increase, Uttarakhand Chief Minister T.S. Rawat said at a press
conference in Dehradun.
Mr. Rawat also said people were being evacuated along the river banks.
Dams had been emptied out in Shrinagar and Rishikesh, Mr. Rawat said,
as the raging waters made their way downstream.
At least 15 people were rescued, said Uttarakhand Police Director
General Ashok Kumar in a tweet. "Rescue operations are proceeding,"
he said.
Mr. Kumar said that so far, seven bodies had been found and there
were still around 100 people missing. Two policemen and five villagers
were also missing, he said.
The 520 MW NTPC Tapovan-Vishnugad Project at Dhauliganga was
much larger, while the Rishiganga Hydel project had a smaller installed
capacity of 13.2 megawatts (MW). Both dams were washed away.
As per information provided by the Central Water Commission, the
National Crisis Management Committee (NCMC), there is no danger of
downstream flooding and the increase in water level has been
contained.
“There is also no threat to the neighbouring villages. At the same time,
the Centre and State agencies concerned were requested to keep a
strict eye on the situation, and a DRDO team, which tracks avalanches,
is being flown in for surveillance and reconnaissance purposes,” it
added.
For his part, Mr. Rawat was more circumspect about the cause of the
floods in the eco-sensitive Himalayan region, where, for decades,
environmentalists have cautioned against dam construction. The Chief
Minister told reporters, "Experts will tell us about the cause behind the
disaster."
The India Meteorological Department, however, has said that no rain is
expected. Meanwhile, Central Water Commission officials said that the
flooding from the glacial burst was contained.
The glacial melt has been ascribed to global warming by environmental
scientists. According to the latest assessment reports from the UN
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, glacier retreat and
permafrost thaw are expected to reduce the stability of mountain
slopes and increase the amount and area of glacier lakes.
There is also great confidence that in the coming decades, the number
and area of glacier lakes will continue to increase in most regions and
new lakes will grow closer to steep and potentially unstable mountain
walls where it is easier to cause lake outbursts.
Farooq Azam, Assistant Professor, IIT Indore, Division of Glaciology and
Hydrology, said such a glacial burst was a "extremely rare event."
Images from the satellite and Google Earth do not indicate a glacial lake
near the region, but there is a chance that the region may have a water
pocket. Water pockets are lakes that may have erupted within the
glaciers, contributing to this occurrence. To confirm if this is indeed the
case, we need more research, weather reports, and data,” he said.
Four columns of the Army were also mobilized for rescue operations,
apart from the local police and the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP), as
some 35 people are believed to still be trapped inside the Tapovan
project tunnel.
Mr. Rawat said that as the administration was busy with relief
operations, the authorities had not been able to assess the damage
caused by the flash floods yet. He declared compensation to the
families of those who died in the tragedy of ~4 lakh each.
A tweet from the official handle of Prime Minister Narendra Modi
announced that an amount of ₹2 lakh will be given to the families of
the dead and ₹50,000 each to the families of the injured for the
avalanche caused by the "glacial breach" from the PM Relief Fund.

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GLACIAL BURST ON NANDA DEVI

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