News Analysis India

Tag: Uttarakhand Glacier Burst

  • Centre assures all support to Uttarakhand government after reports of glacier burst in Chamoli

    Express News Service
    DEHRADUN: After reports of glacier break in Malari Sumna of Chamoli district at the India-Tibet border on Friday, Uttarakhand Chief Minister Tirath Singh Rawat said that he spoke to Union Home minister Amit Shah who has promised help and support.

    Rawat tweeted, “Honorable Union Home Minister has personally taken note of the incident and promised full support and help. I am thankful on the behalf of the people of Uttarakhand for his considerate and sensitive response ”

    Earlier, in the evening, reports of a glacier break started pouring in fueling rumors which were denied by the district administration.

    Chamoli DM Swati Bhadauria said, “We have unconfirmed reports of glacier break. Officials from the Border Road Organization and other have left for the spot to take stock of the situation. We cannot say anything until we get some real information.”

    Later, the CM himself took it to Twitter and stated that he has ordered ‘halting’ of projects in the area and alert has been announced.

    नीती घाटी के सुमना में ग्लेशियर टूटने की सूचना मिली है। इस संबंध में मैंने एलर्ट जारी कर दिया है। मैं निरंतर जिला प्रशासन और बीआरओ के सम्पर्क में हूँ।
    — Tirath Singh Rawat (@TIRATHSRAWAT) April 23, 2021

    Uttarakhand DGP Ashok Kumar also informed through Twitter that team has been already dispatched to assess the ground situation but bad weather is the only hurdle to get information on the scale of any kind of damages. 

    The break is said to be near a road project in the border area which is being built by the BRO. 

    Scale of damages and loss of life is not known yet. The area largely remains sparsely habited or uninhabited apart from forces like Indo-ibetan Border Police, Indian Army and many other forces guarding the borders.

    जिला प्रशासन को मामले की पूरी जानकारी प्राप्त करने के निर्देश दे दिए हैं। एनटीपीसी एवं अन्य परियोजनाओं में रात के समय काम रोकने के आदेश दे दिए हैं ताकि कोई अप्रिय घटना ना होने पाये।
    — Tirath Singh Rawat (@TIRATHSRAWAT) April 23, 2021

    The higher reaches of hilly areas of Uttarakhand including the Niti Valley received 4-5 feet of snowfall. Officials from the BRO said that access points and roads have been blocked by snowfall which can delay their journey to the spot. 

    In February this year, a glacier break in Raini village of the district resulted in loss of 79 lives and damaged two power plants. Hundreds are still missing in the disaster. The February flashfloods also brought back memories of 2013 Kedarnath disaster. 

  • Uttarakhand glacial burst: Recovery of two more bodies takes death toll to 72

    By ANI
    CHAMOLI: The death toll in the Uttarakhand glacier burst incident has reached 72 as two more bodies and 30 parts of human bodies were recovered from the debris, according to the state government on Saturday.

    “So far, 72 bodies and 30 human body parts have been recovered from different places in the avalanche hit areas out of which 40 bodies and one human body part have been identified,” said Chamoli district police.

    DNA samples of bodies which have not been identified are being preserved.

    Missing reports of 205 persons have been registered at Joshimath police station so far.

    DNA samples of 110 family members of missing people, 58 bodies and 28 human body parts have been sent to Forensic Science Laboratory in Dehradun for matching, it said.

    Meanwhile, the rescue and search operation for missing people is underway. The Indo-Tibetan Border Police personnel along with National Disaster Response Force and other sister agencies have been conducting search and rescue operations in Chamoli district.

    A glacier burst earlier in the Tapovan-Reni area of Chamoli District of Uttarakhand triggered massive flooding in the Dhauliganga and Alaknanda rivers that damaged houses and the nearby Rishiganga power project. 

  • Uttarakhand glacier burst: 71 bodies recovered so far, 133 remain missing

    By ANI
    CHAMOLI: The death toll in the Uttarakhand glacier burst incident has gone up to 71, according to the state government on Thursday.

    “Out of 206 people missing in a flash flood, bodies of 71 people and 30 body parts have been recovered from Tapovan in Chamoli district,” the state government said.

    Meanwhile, the rescue and search operation for 133 missing people is underway.

    Earlier today, the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) personnel along with National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and other sister agencies have been conducting search and rescue operations in Chamoli district.

    A glacier burst earlier in the Tapovan-Reni area of Chamoli District of Uttarakhand, which led to massive flooding in the Dhauliganga and Alaknanda rivers and damaged houses and the nearby Rishiganga power project. 

  • Uttarakhand glacier burst: Two more bodies recovered from Tapovan site

    By PTI
    GOPESHWAR: Two more bodies were recovered from the flood ravaged Tapovan-Vishnugad hydel project site, taking the death toll in the calamity in Uttarakhand to 67 even as search operations continued there for the 15th day on Sunday.

    Three bodies had been recovered from the desilting tank near the Tapovan project barrage by Saturday evening while two more were extricated late at night, district administration officials said.

    Search operation at the project site has been underway on a war footing basis for a fortnight since it bore the brunt of an avalanche triggered by a glacier burst over Rishi Ganga in Chamoli district on February 7.

    The 13.2 mw Rishi Ganga hydel project was totally demolished in the avalanche while the Tapovan-Vishnugad hydel project suffered extensive damage.

    The recovery of five bodies on Saturday takes the toll in the tragedy to 67 while 137 are still missing.

    Chamoli District Magistrate Swati S Bhadauria had asked the NTPC to press into service additional excavators and divert the course of Dhauli Ganga to the other side so that its water does not flow through the barrage into Tapovan tunnel hampering sludge clearing efforts.

    River water flowing into the tunnel from the barrage has been a major headache for rescuers at the tunnel making the muck clearing operations even more challenging, Bhadauria said.

  • Uttarakhand glacier tragedy: More bodies recovered from hydel project site, toll rises to 64

    By Agencies
    GOPESHWAR: More bodies were recovered from the NTPC’s flood-ravaged Tapovan-Vishnugad hydel project site on Saturday taking the toll in the February 7 glacial disaster in Uttarakhand to 64.

    The bodies were recovered from the desilting tank near the Tapovan project barrage on Saturday, NDRF Commandant P K Tiwari told PTI.

    Search operation at the project site has been underway on a war footing for more than 13 days since it bore the brunt of an avalanche triggered by a glacial burst over Rishiganga river in Chamoli district.

    Chamoli Disaster: Total 64 bodies recovered while 140 still missing! @NewIndianXpress @TheMornStandard
    — Vineet Upadhyay (@VineetTNIE) February 20, 2021

    The 13.2 MW Rishiganga hydel project was totally demolished in the avalanche while the Tapovan-Vishnugad hydropower project suffered extensive damage.

    Meanwhile, Chamoli District Magistrate Swati S Bhadauria on Saturday asked the NTPC to press into service additional equipment and divert the course of Dhauliganga river to the other side so that its water does not flow through the barrage into Tapovan tunnel hampering sludge clearing efforts.

    River water flowing into the tunnel from the barrage has been a major headache for rescuers at the tunnel making the muck clearing operations even more challenging, Bhadauria said.

    Deploying additional equipment at the tunnel and diverting the course of the river will speed up the debris removal exercise which has been underway for more than 13 days, the DM said.

    She said rescue operations at the main project site in Raini have been completed.

    The DM added that the debris on the upper side of Rishiganga is now being scoured for any bodies that could be trapped, if any.

    (With ENS and PTI inputs)

  • Uttarakhand floods: One more body recovered, toll now 62

    By PTI
    GOPESHWAR: One more body has been recovered from a flood-hit area in Uttarakhand’s Chamoli district, taking the toll in the glacial disaster to 62, even as search and rescue operations continued for the 13th day at the NTPC’s Tapovan-Vishnugad hydel project site.

    One body was recovered late Thursday night from the banks of the Alaknanda at Helang between Joshimath and Pipalkoti, Chamoli district police said on Friday.

    The body was found at a coffer barrage of the THDC, it said.

    With this recovery, the toll in the February 7 disaster has risen to 62 while 142 people are still missing, they said.

    The number of bodies recovered from the intake Adit tunnel of Tapovan-Vishnugad hydel project where a massive search operation has been under way ever since the tragedy struck still stands at 13.

    Besides, 28 human limbs have also been recovered from different places in the affected area out of which one has been identified.

    Thirty-three bodies out of the 62 recovered so far have also been identified, police said, adding the DNAs of unidentified bodies are being preserved.

    The glacial burst over Rishiganga had triggered an avalanche which had demolished a 13.

    2 MW hydel project along the river besides causing extensive damage to the NTPC’s Tapovan-Vishnugad hydel project along Dhauliganga.

  • Uttrakhand flashflood: SC panel says Feb 7 disaster linked to hydel, Char Dham projects

    Express News Service
    DEHRADUN: Chairman of the Supreme Court-appointed High Powered Committee (HPC) to monitor Char Dham Pariyojana (CDP) in Uttarakhand has written to the apex court saying that deforestation, slope cutting, blasting, tunneling, damming of rivers, excessive tourism for hydroelectric projects (HEPs) and widening of around 900 km roads under the CDP responsible for the recent flashflood-like disasters.

    The SC on Wednesday granted two weeks’ time to the Centre to submit a response in the matter. 

    The HPC chairman Ravi Chopra said: “We have been saying that these hydroelectric projects should not be located in paraglacial zones. We had submitted a report recommending this in 2014 which was not followed. The Union Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) data also confirms the landslide-prone spots at almost every 3-3.5 km in the CDP.”

    The CDP is an 889 km road widening project connecting four shrines of Badrinath, Kedarnath, Gangotri, and Yamunotri. Worth around Rs 12,000 Crore, the CDP is said to be a dream project of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. 

    Chopra added, “All we are saying that we would like our armed forces to reach safely and quickly to the border if the need arises. So, to draw attention to the serious flaws of the project, I wrote the letter.”

    The letter by Chopra pointed out 161 “chronic landslide-prone locations and stretches” in 574 km of the CDP stating that “the cumulative impact of such activities on the nearby glaciers cannot be ignored.” 

    Chopra also recalled a report submitted to the SC in April 2014 by an expert body (EB) highlighting the potential threat of paraglacial zones, valleys north of the Main Central Thrust (MCT) emphasizing them as disaster-prone areas. 

    The EB, in its 2014 report, had recommended that hydroelectric projects should not be built in these valleys.

    ALSO READ | 31 of 58 bodies recovered in Uttarakhand glacier burst identified

    Based on field visits, scientific publications, government reports, and eye-witness reports, the EB report provided evidence of irreversible damage to the  Himalayan ecology of the Ganga river system due to the construction of HEPs. The EB said this was the very reason behind the 2013 floods. “Had these concerns and recommendations been adopted, the massive loss of lives and property could have been avoided in the Rishi Ganga and Tapovan Vishnugad projects.” 

    The 2014 report had also highlighted the flood-related concerns in all existing projects including shortcomings of Tehri Dam and recommendations were made by the EB to develop and install the flood warning mechanism. 

    The letter says that 24 proposed projects in Uttarakhand which had not started on-ground construction work were stayed by the SC but no decision has yet been taken on under-construction or commissioned projects. 

    “In view of the precious ecology and fragility of the region, the concerned authorities could have and should have taken a view on these projects. However, all the under-construction projects continued their construction unhindered. Now last Sunday’s tragic disaster has confirmed our fears and warnings,” said Chopra in the letter. 

    “Now last Sunday’s tragic disaster has confirmed our fears and warnings. Hundreds of crores spent in the last 7 years for constructing these dangerous dams have ended up with the loss of over 200 persons, domestic animals, and destruction of national property.”

  • 31 of 58 bodies recovered in Uttarakhand glacier burst identified

    By ANI
    CHAMOLI: All 11 bodies retrieved from Tapovan tunnel till now have been identified, informed Deputy Inspector General of State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF) Ridhim Aggarwal on Tuesday.

    “31 of 58 bodies recovered so far have been identified. All 11 bodies retrieved from Tapovan tunnel till now have been identified,” Aggarwal told ANI.

    “Teams of SDRF and NDRF along with dog squads are conducting searches in Raini village, Tapovan, and nearby areas,” she added.

    According to the Uttarakhand Police, the death toll in the glacier burst in Chamoli has gone up to 58 as a total of 11 bodies are recovered from the Tapovan tunnel, whereas 146 people are still missing.

    Meanwhile, the Chamoli District Magistrate Swati Bhadoria inspected the rescue operations that are underway in Chamoli.

    Later, Bhadoria also met the families and relatives of the deceased and missing people in the glacier burst.

    ALSO READ: Over 300 personnel join Chamoli rescue operations in Uttarakhand

    Uttarakhand Irrigation Minister Satpal Maharaj had earlier said that the state government will create a department to investigate the cause of the glacier burst incident in Chamoli and monitoring of the glaciers through satellite.

    “All angles (related to the Chamoli glacier burst) should be investigated. We will form a department in our ministry to monitor and study all the glaciers through satellite,” Satpal said.

    “We are concerned over the way glaciers are melting and the tidal wave created in the mountains. The plutonium pack that was kept to monitor China’s movement should also be investigated,” he added.

    A glacier burst in the Tapovan-Reni area of Chamoli District of Uttarakhand last week led to massive flooding in the Dhauliganga and Alaknanda rivers and damaged houses and the nearby Rishiganga power project.  

  • Over 300 personnel join Chamoli rescue operations in Uttarakhand

    By ANI
    DEHRADUN: The rescue operation in the Tapovan-Reni area of Chamoli district has been intensified with over 300 personnel joining the task to search 146 missing people.

    “More than 325 personnel comprising engineers, officers, geologists, scientists, security personnel from National Thermal Power Corporation Limited (NTPC), Tehri Hydro Development Corporation Limited (THDC), Central Industrial Security Force (CISF), Uttarakhand Purvsanik Kalyan Limited (UPNL) and others are taking part in the rescue operation,” ITBP said.

    “Slurry Pump installed in GOC or Transfer Structure area of de-silting basin dewatering,” ITBP added.

    The death toll in the avalanche triggered by the bursting of a glacier in Chamoli has gone up to 58 as a total of 11 bodies are recovered from the Tapovan tunnel, whereas 146 people are still missing, said Uttarakhand Police on Tuesday.

    Indo-Tibetan Border Police personnel along with National Disaster Response Force and other sister agencies have been conducting search and rescue operations in Chamoli district.

    Meanwhile, the Alaknanda River at Srinagar in Pauri Garhwal is flowing at the normal level; no alert has been issued by the district administration in this regard, said the Uttarakhand Police.

    Uttarakhand Disaster Response Force has put an alarm system to detect the rise in the level of water and alerted about it, in Raini village of Chamoli district.

    A glacier burst in the Tapovan-Reni area of Chamoli District of Uttarakhand last week led to massive flooding in the Dhauliganga and Alaknanda rivers and damaged houses and the nearby Rishiganga power project. (ANI)

  • Uttarakhand calamity: Three more bodies recovered, toll climbs to 53

    By PTI
    DEHRADUN/TAPOVAN: Three more bodies were recovered on Monday from the flood-ravaged Tapovan tunnel, taking the toll in the glacial disaster in Uttarakhand to 53.

    The bodies were recovered this morning from the Adit tunnel at the NTPC’s Tapovan-Vishnugad project site, Chamoli District Magistrate, Swati S Bhadauria, told PTI.

    Rescue efforts are now underway at the Silt Flushing Tunnel (SFT) only with the help of excavators as a camera or a pipe cannot be inserted due to mounds of sludge and water choking it, the district magistrate said.

    The SFT at Tapovan where drilling was completed on Saturday night in the hope of inserting a camera to locate those believed to be trapped inside is also badly choked with slush and water, she said.

    Rescue or recovery is possible only with the help of excavators now, she said.

    Officials said over 150 people still remain missing after the February 7 devastation, possibly triggered by an avalanche in the upper reaches of the Alaknanda river system.

    A surge of water in Dhauliganga and Rishiganga rivers had ripped through two hydel projects.

    Asked about the chances of survival of those missing or trapped, the district magistrate said, “We must always try to be hopeful when the circumstances are adverse.”          

    Around 30 people, who were at work inside the tunnel when the flashflood occurred, are believed to be trapped inside the SFT at Tapovan.

    The last rites of those pulled out dead after DNA sampling and other formalities have also been going on and compensation cheques are also being distributed among the next of kin of the deceased.

    Families of those from outside Chamoli district killed in the tragedy are being paid compensation of Rs 4 lakh each through bankers cheques by the concerned district administration.

    Over 500 ration kits carrying foodgrains and essentials have already been distributed among residents of over a dozen villages that were cut off from the district headquarters following the disaster that struck a week ago.

    Electricity supply has been restored in all affected villages except Pang where solar lanterns have been provided to residents for the time being, she said.

    The agencies involved in the Tapovan rescue work include the Indo-Tibetan Border Police, the National Disaster Response Force and the State Disaster Response Force.