Uttarakhand floods bring back memories of 2013 Kedarnath tragedy, but clear weather helping rescue operations For many people in Uttarakhand, the floods in Chamoli on Sunday brought back horrific memories of the deluge of 2013 in Kedarnath FP Staff February 08, 2021 13:45:34 IST ITBP personnel engaged in rescue operations in Uttarakhand. AP
For many people in Uttarakhand, the floods in Chamoli on Sunday brought back horrific memories of the deluge of 2013, which is estimated to have left over 5,000 people dead.
The sight of huge torrents of water and sludge and loud noises due to it caused panic in nearby villages,
PTI reported. Before we could make out what was happening, the raging muddy waters of Rishi Ganga had devastated the landscape, 50-year-old Dharam Singh, a resident of the Raini village, was quoted as saying.
Updated Feb 08, 2021 | 14:10 IST
The monster of climate change has a firm grip on the ecological balance of the world. Disasters such as Chamoli and Kedarnath flashfloods are likely to get more frequent as glaciers lose more mass. Ngozumba glacier, the largest glacier in great Himalayan range | Photo Credit: iStock Images
Key Highlights
In the next less than 15 years, the mountains of Himalayas bid adieu to the last of glaciers unless there is a drastic correction in use of fossil fuels and other factors affecting global warming.
A study revealed that this melting means runoff is 1.6 times greater than if the glaciers were stable, resulting in seasonal flooding and the creation of many glacial lakes that create a risk of catastrophic outburst floods.
Uttarakhand flood ‘quite peculiar’: Scientists to study cause - what we know so far
Kalachand Sain, the director of the Wadia Institute of Himalayan Geology, stated a ‘glacial burst’ is widely considered the cause (also the cause of the 2013 Uttarakhand floods), with a close second reason being a possible cloudburst. February 08, 2021 / 02:11 PM IST
The sudden floods washed away hydroelectric stations on the river system and killed at least 10 people so far. Another 143 are missing as scores of labourers were trapped in tunnels due to the sudden water rush
A team of scientists from the Snow and Avalanche Study Establishment (SASE) of the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) are headed to the Joshimath region to conduct “surveillance and reconnaissance” of the Uttarakhand floods, as per the Home Ministry.
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