Glacier bursts: Chamoli - Revision history

Jyoti at 06:13, 17 November 2023

2023-11-17T06:13:44Z

Pdewan: /* New lake: a danger */

2023-06-12T07:55:37Z

‎New lake: a danger

Pdewan: /* See also */

2023-06-12T07:53:32Z

‎See also

Pdewan: /* How the glacier was struck */

2023-06-12T07:49:58Z

‎How the glacier was struck

Pdewan: Pdewan moved page Chamoli: glacier burst, 2021 to Glacier bursts: Chamoli without leaving a redirect

2022-11-03T22:37:34Z

Pdewan moved page Chamoli: glacier burst, 2021 to Glacier bursts: Chamoli without leaving a redirect

Pdewan: /* The events */

2022-11-03T22:36:57Z

‎The events

Pdewan: /* New lake: a danger */

2022-11-03T22:36:18Z

‎New lake: a danger

Jyoti: /* Causes */

2021-06-12T07:19:13Z

‎Causes

Jyoti: /* Massive rock and ice avalanche */

2021-06-12T07:18:13Z

‎Massive rock and ice avalanche

Jyoti: /* Massive rockslide triggered flood */

2021-06-12T07:07:30Z

‎Massive rockslide triggered flood

@@ Line 38: / Line 38: @@
 Teams of the State Disaster Relief Force (SDRF), National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) and Indian Army are involved in rescue operations.
 =Causes=
@@ Line 142: / Line 131: @@
 But one of the primary drivers of the disaster, the paper said, was “the unfortunate location of multiple hydropower plants in the direct path of the flow.” Co-author Dr Mohd Farooq Azam from IIT-Indore told TOI, “The greater magnitude of the latest Chamoli disaster is an argument in favour of avoiding further developments in the fragile mountains of the Himalaya.” The paper concluded, “The disaster tragically revealed the risks associated with the rapid expansion of hydropower infrastructure into increasingly unstable territory.”
 =Why in February?=
@@ Line 204: / Line 184: @@
 The Centre, taking Tuesday’s findings into account, said the probe will continue. Department of science and technology secretary Prof Ashutosh Sharma said, “This will be explored to ensure it’s helpful in managing our natural assets in the future.”
 ==Behaviour of fish==
@@ Line 235: / Line 204: @@
 “Fish have a lateral line organ (a biological system in aquatic creatures that help them detect movement and pressure changes in water). It’s very sensitive. The slightest disturbance can set it off, sending the fish into a state of shock,” said K Sivakumar, senior scientist at Wildlife Institute of India. “In this case, it’s possible that a sound preceding the flood may have been picked up by the fish. It is also possible an electric wire or some source of power fell into the water and gave them electric shocks. There can be many reasons. This is why we keep saying that dynamite blasting should never be done on a river.”
 =After effects=
@@ Line 289: / Line 247: @@
 [[Siachen Glacier, the conflict]]
-[[Category:India|C CHAMOLI: GLACIER BURST, 2021CHAMOLI: GLACIER BURST, 2021CHAMOLI: GLACIER BURST, 2021
+[[Category:India|C CHAMOLI: GLACIER BURST, 2021CHAMOLI: GLACIER BURST, 2021CHAMOLI: GLACIER BURST, 2021GLACIER BURSTS: CHAMOLI
-GLACIER BURSTS: CHAMOLI]]
-[[Category:Natural Disasters|G
 GLACIER BURSTS: CHAMOLI]]
-[[Category:Natural disasters|C CHAMOLI: GLACIER BURST, 2021CHAMOLI: GLACIER BURST, 2021
+[[Category:Natural Disasters|GGLACIER BURSTS: CHAMOLI
 GLACIER BURSTS: CHAMOLI]]
-[[Category:Pages with broken file links|CHAMOLI: GLACIER BURST, 2021CHAMOLI: GLACIER BURST, 2021CHAMOLI: GLACIER BURST, 2021
+[[Category:Pages with broken file links|CHAMOLI: GLACIER BURST, 2021CHAMOLI: GLACIER BURST, 2021CHAMOLI: GLACIER BURST, 2021GLACIER BURSTS: CHAMOLI
 GLACIER BURSTS: CHAMOLI]]
-[[Category:Places|C CHAMOLI: GLACIER BURST, 2021CHAMOLI: GLACIER BURST, 2021CHAMOLI: GLACIER BURST, 2021
+[[Category:Places|C CHAMOLI: GLACIER BURST, 2021CHAMOLI: GLACIER BURST, 2021CHAMOLI: GLACIER BURST, 2021GLACIER BURSTS: CHAMOLI
 GLACIER BURSTS: CHAMOLI]]

@@ Line 276: / Line 276: @@
 Confirming the formation of a water body upstream of the Rishiganga, Kalachand Sain, director of Dehradun-based Wadia Institute of Himalayan Geology (WIHG), said water accumulation was seen after an aerial view of the region was recorded by a WIHG team that is presently at the spot. “We cannot say as of now whether that water accumulation has triggered the current rise in the level of the Rishiganga or Dhauliganga. I am yet to get the details of the size of the pond and reason of its formation. This can either be a new lake or an old one,” he said.
-[[Category:India|C
+=See also=
-CHAMOLI: GLACIER BURST, 2021]]
+[[Glacier bursts: Chamoli]]
-[[Category:Natural disasters|C
-CHAMOLI: GLACIER BURST, 2021]]
-[[Category:Places|C
+[[Glaciers: India]]
-CHAMOLI: GLACIER BURST, 2021]]
-[[Category:India|C CHAMOLI: GLACIER BURST, 2021
+[[Glaciers: Nepal]]
-CHAMOLI: GLACIER BURST, 2021]]
-[[Category:Natural disasters|C CHAMOLI: GLACIER BURST, 2021
-CHAMOLI: GLACIER BURST, 2021]]
-[[Category:Pages with broken file links|CHAMOLI: GLACIER BURST, 2021
-CHAMOLI: GLACIER BURST, 2021]]
-[[Category:Places|C CHAMOLI: GLACIER BURST, 2021
-CHAMOLI: GLACIER BURST, 2021]]
-[[Category:India|C CHAMOLI: GLACIER BURST, 2021CHAMOLI: GLACIER BURST, 2021
+[[Glaciers in Pakistan occupied Kashmir]]
 CHAMOLI: GLACIER BURST, 2021]]
-[[Category:Pages with broken file links|CHAMOLI: GLACIER BURST, 2021CHAMOLI: GLACIER BURST, 2021
+[[Siachen glacier]]
-CHAMOLI: GLACIER BURST, 2021]]
-[[Category:Places|C CHAMOLI: GLACIER BURST, 2021CHAMOLI: GLACIER BURST, 2021
+[[Siachen Glacier, the conflict]]
-CHAMOLI: GLACIER BURST, 2021]]
-[[Category:Natural Disasters|G]]
+[[Category:India|C CHAMOLI: GLACIER BURST, 2021CHAMOLI: GLACIER BURST, 2021CHAMOLI: GLACIER BURST, 2021

@@ Line 204: / Line 204: @@
 The Centre, taking Tuesday’s findings into account, said the probe will continue. Department of science and technology secretary Prof Ashutosh Sharma said, “This will be explored to ensure it’s helpful in managing our natural assets in the future.”
-=See also=
-[[Glacier bursts: Chamoli]]
-−
-[[Glaciers: India]]
-−
-[[Glaciers: Nepal]]
-−
-[[Glaciers: Pakistan]]
-−
-[[Siachen glacier]]
-−
-[[Siachen Glacier, the conflict]]
 [[Category:India|C CHAMOLI: GLACIER BURST, 2021CHAMOLI: GLACIER BURST, 2021CHAMOLI: GLACIER BURST, 2021
@@ Line 246: / Line 235: @@
 “Fish have a lateral line organ (a biological system in aquatic creatures that help them detect movement and pressure changes in water). It’s very sensitive. The slightest disturbance can set it off, sending the fish into a state of shock,” said K Sivakumar, senior scientist at Wildlife Institute of India. “In this case, it’s possible that a sound preceding the flood may have been picked up by the fish. It is also possible an electric wire or some source of power fell into the water and gave them electric shocks. There can be many reasons. This is why we keep saying that dynamite blasting should never be done on a river.”
 =After effects=

← Older revision		Revision as of 07:49, 12 June 2023
Line 204:		Line 204:

	The Centre, taking Tuesday’s findings into account, said the probe will continue. Department of science and technology secretary Prof Ashutosh Sharma said, “This will be explored to ensure it’s helpful in managing our natural assets in the future.”		The Centre, taking Tuesday’s findings into account, said the probe will continue. Department of science and technology secretary Prof Ashutosh Sharma said, “This will be explored to ensure it’s helpful in managing our natural assets in the future.”
		+	=See also=
		+	[[Glacier bursts: Chamoli]]
		+
		+	[[Glaciers: India]]
		+
		+	[[Glaciers: Nepal]]
		+
		+	[[Glaciers: Pakistan]]
		+
		+	[[Siachen glacier]]
		+
		+	[[Siachen Glacier, the conflict]]
		+
		+	[[Category:India\|C CHAMOLI: GLACIER BURST, 2021CHAMOLI: GLACIER BURST, 2021CHAMOLI: GLACIER BURST, 2021
		+	GLACIER BURSTS: CHAMOLI]]
		+	[[Category:Natural Disasters\|G
		+	GLACIER BURSTS: CHAMOLI]]
		+	[[Category:Natural disasters\|C CHAMOLI: GLACIER BURST, 2021CHAMOLI: GLACIER BURST, 2021
		+	GLACIER BURSTS: CHAMOLI]]
		+	[[Category:Pages with broken file links\|CHAMOLI: GLACIER BURST, 2021CHAMOLI: GLACIER BURST, 2021CHAMOLI: GLACIER BURST, 2021
		+	GLACIER BURSTS: CHAMOLI]]
		+	[[Category:Places\|C CHAMOLI: GLACIER BURST, 2021CHAMOLI: GLACIER BURST, 2021CHAMOLI: GLACIER BURST, 2021
		+	GLACIER BURSTS: CHAMOLI]]

	==Behaviour of fish==		==Behaviour of fish==

@@ Line 11: / Line 11: @@
 =The events=
 [https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/uttarakhands-chamoli-disaster-what-we-know-so-far/articleshow/80748947.cms  February 8, 2021: ''The Times of India'']
@@ Line 37: / Line 38: @@
 Teams of the State Disaster Relief Force (SDRF), National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) and Indian Army are involved in rescue operations.
 =Causes=

← Older revision		Revision as of 22:36, 3 November 2022
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		+
		+	[[Category:India\|C CHAMOLI: GLACIER BURST, 2021CHAMOLI: GLACIER BURST, 2021
		+	CHAMOLI: GLACIER BURST, 2021]]
		+	[[Category:Pages with broken file links\|CHAMOLI: GLACIER BURST, 2021CHAMOLI: GLACIER BURST, 2021
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		+	[[Category:Places\|C CHAMOLI: GLACIER BURST, 2021CHAMOLI: GLACIER BURST, 2021
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@@ Line 88: / Line 88: @@
 The Kathmandu-based ICIMOD has eight member countries, including India, on board which is considered as the most authoritative voice in the Hindu Kush Himalayan region.
 ==Massive rock and ice avalanche==
@@ Line 121: / Line 130: @@
 But one of the primary drivers of the disaster, the paper said, was “the unfortunate location of multiple hydropower plants in the direct path of the flow.” Co-author Dr Mohd Farooq Azam from IIT-Indore told TOI, “The greater magnitude of the latest Chamoli disaster is an argument in favour of avoiding further developments in the fragile mountains of the Himalaya.” The paper concluded, “The disaster tragically revealed the risks associated with the rapid expansion of hydropower infrastructure into increasingly unstable territory.”
 [[Category:India|C CHAMOLI: GLACIER BURST, 2021CHAMOLI: GLACIER BURST, 2021

@@ Line 98: / Line 98: @@
 [[File: Annotated trajectory of the rockslide on Ronti Peak that eventually caused the flood — Planet Labs Inc, Dan Shugar, University of Calgary.jpg|Annotated trajectory of the rockslide on Ronti Peak that eventually caused the flood — Planet Labs Inc, Dan Shugar, University of Calgary <br/> From: [https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/dehradun/uttarakhands-chamoli-disaster-was-caused-by-massive-rock-and-ice-avalanche-study/articleshow/83425453.cms  Chandrima Banerjee, June 11, 2021: ''The Times of India'']|frame|500px]]
-[[File: Tapovan Vishnugarh project, 10km downriver, was inundated when the surging water debris flow hit it at about 58km/hr (Credit- Plant Labs Inc.).jpg|Tapovan Vishnugarh project, 10km downriver, was inundated when the surging water debris flow hit it at about 58km/hr (Credit- Plant Labs Inc.) <br/> From: [https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/dehradun/uttarakhands-chamoli-disaster-was-caused-by-massive-rock-and-ice-avalanche-study/articleshow/83425453.cms  Chandrima Banerjee, June 11, 2021: ''The Times of India'']|frame|500px]]
+[[File: Tapovan Vishnugarh project, 10km downriver, was inundated when the surging water debris flow hit it at about 58km-hr (Credit- Plant Labs Inc.).jpg|Tapovan Vishnugarh project, 10km downriver, was inundated when the surging water debris flow hit it at about 58km/hr (Credit- Plant Labs Inc.) <br/> From: [https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/dehradun/uttarakhands-chamoli-disaster-was-caused-by-massive-rock-and-ice-avalanche-study/articleshow/83425453.cms  Chandrima Banerjee, June 11, 2021: ''The Times of India'']|frame|500px]]
 After months of debate over what led to the Uttarakhand floods in February this year — glacial lake outburst or rockslide — a team of 53 scientists from across the world has confirmed “an extraordinary rock and ice avalanche and debris flow” was the cause, using a computer model to reconstruct “in almost real time” how the flood unfolded. But only a part of the rock-ice mass collapsed from Ronti Peak in February, scientists warned, leaving a substantial chunk vulnerable.
@@ Line 121: / Line 121: @@
 But one of the primary drivers of the disaster, the paper said, was “the unfortunate location of multiple hydropower plants in the direct path of the flow.” Co-author Dr Mohd Farooq Azam from IIT-Indore told TOI, “The greater magnitude of the latest Chamoli disaster is an argument in favour of avoiding further developments in the fragile mountains of the Himalaya.” The paper concluded, “The disaster tragically revealed the risks associated with the rapid expansion of hydropower infrastructure into increasingly unstable territory.”
 [[Category:India|C CHAMOLI: GLACIER BURST, 2021CHAMOLI: GLACIER BURST, 2021

← Older revision		Revision as of 07:07, 12 June 2021
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		+	==Massive rock and ice avalanche==
		+	[https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/dehradun/uttarakhands-chamoli-disaster-was-caused-by-massive-rock-and-ice-avalanche-study/articleshow/83425453.cms Chandrima Banerjee, June 11, 2021: ''The Times of India'']
		+
		+	[[File: A new lake was formed after the avalanche blocked a tribitary of the Ronti stream, but it was not a glacial lake. (Credit- Plant Labs Inc..jpg\|A new lake was formed after the avalanche blocked a tribitary of the Ronti stream, but it was not a glacial lake. (Credit- Plant Labs Inc. <br/> From: [https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/dehradun/uttarakhands-chamoli-disaster-was-caused-by-massive-rock-and-ice-avalanche-study/articleshow/83425453.cms Chandrima Banerjee, June 11, 2021: ''The Times of India'']\|frame\|500px]]
		+
		+	[[File: A computer model-generated trajectory of the Chamoli flood — Planet Labs Inc..jpg\|A computer model-generated trajectory of the Chamoli flood — Planet Labs Inc. <br/> From: [https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/dehradun/uttarakhands-chamoli-disaster-was-caused-by-massive-rock-and-ice-avalanche-study/articleshow/83425453.cms Chandrima Banerjee, June 11, 2021: ''The Times of India'']\|frame\|500px]]
		+
		+	[[File: Annotated trajectory of the rockslide on Ronti Peak that eventually caused the flood — Planet Labs Inc, Dan Shugar, University of Calgary.jpg\|Annotated trajectory of the rockslide on Ronti Peak that eventually caused the flood — Planet Labs Inc, Dan Shugar, University of Calgary <br/> From: [https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/dehradun/uttarakhands-chamoli-disaster-was-caused-by-massive-rock-and-ice-avalanche-study/articleshow/83425453.cms Chandrima Banerjee, June 11, 2021: ''The Times of India'']\|frame\|500px]]
		+
		+	[[File: Tapovan Vishnugarh project, 10km downriver, was inundated when the surging water debris flow hit it at about 58km/hr (Credit- Plant Labs Inc.).jpg\|Tapovan Vishnugarh project, 10km downriver, was inundated when the surging water debris flow hit it at about 58km/hr (Credit- Plant Labs Inc.) <br/> From: [https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/dehradun/uttarakhands-chamoli-disaster-was-caused-by-massive-rock-and-ice-avalanche-study/articleshow/83425453.cms Chandrima Banerjee, June 11, 2021: ''The Times of India'']\|frame\|500px]]
		+
		+	After months of debate over what led to the Uttarakhand floods in February this year — glacial lake outburst or rockslide — a team of 53 scientists from across the world has confirmed “an extraordinary rock and ice avalanche and debris flow” was the cause, using a computer model to reconstruct “in almost real time” how the flood unfolded. But only a part of the rock-ice mass collapsed from Ronti Peak in February, scientists warned, leaving a substantial chunk vulnerable.
		+
		+	The findings, by scientists from the universities of Calgary, Colorado, Washington, Zurich, Potsdam, Utah, Toulouse, Heidelberg, Geneva, Newcastle, Oslo and Utrecht, among several others, were published in the ‘Science’ journal. “There is no ambiguity that the event was a rock/ice avalanche,” co-author Dr Irfan Rashid from the University of Kashmir told TOI.
		+
		+	And it could happen again. “High-resolution Google Earth data over the Ronti Peak suggests that only a bigger hanging glacier collapsed in February. There is still a substantial chunk of highly crevassed ice that could be vulnerable,” said Rashid.
		+
		+	Lead author Dr Dan Shugar, from the University of Calgary, added, “If one is only looking for dangerous glacial lakes, they will miss the dangerous slopes that could produce the very mobile and destructive debris flow, such as we saw.” The paper further said, “Chamoli event may be seen in the context of a change in geomorphological sensitivity and might therefore be seen as a precursor for an increase in such events as climate warming proceeds.”
		+
		+	As to why glacial lake outburst was ruled out as a cause, Shugar said, “For GLOFs, there would typically be pretty obvious signs or scouring and erosion downstream of the outburst site. But at Nanda Devi and Nanda Ghunti glaciers (where it was suggested the glacial lake originated), no evidence was observed of any changes whatsoever in the days prior to February 7 (when the floods surged through Rishiganga and Dhauliganga rivers). There were also no visible lakes in the days prior.”
		+
		+	What they found while recreating — with satellite imagery, seismic records, digital models of the terrain and videos — what happened on February 7 was a series of “extraordinary” events.
		+
		+	Seismic data from two stations, 160km and 174km from the source, indicated that around 10.21am, a 20 million m3-mass of rock (80%) and ice (20%) broke off an altitude of 5,500m above sea level and hit the Ronti Gad (rivulet) valley floor about 1,800m below. The average speed of the avalanche was 205-216 kmph down the 35° mountain face. “The incredible frictional heat generated during the disintegration of the rock mass melted nearly off the ice during descent. The liquid water is what allowed the debris to become so mobile,” Shugar said. “Typical rock avalanches that don’t contain a lot of glacier ice or water tend to flow a long distance, maybe only a few kilometres, not the tens of kilometres we saw here. This was a different sort of event.”
		+
		+	Then, the fall itself was exceptional. “The ~3700 m vertical drop to the Tapovan HPP is surpassed clearly by only two known events in the historic record, namely the 1962 and 1970 Huascaran avalanches,” the paper said, referring to a 1962 avalanche on the slopes of an extinct volcano and a 1970 debris avalanche triggered by an earthquake in Peru. “The ratio of rock to ice, and the extreme fall height produced a ‘worst case’ scenario, where there was just enough energy to melt the ice. If there had been more ice (relative to the rock), there would not have been enough heat generated and less ice would have melted,” Shugar added.
		+
		+	By analysing the videos, they reconstructed the flow was 25 metre per second (m/s) near the Rishiganga hydropower project (15km downstream from avalanche source), 16m/s just upstream of the Tapovan project (10km downriver) and 12m/s just downstream of Tapovan (26km from source), while the average between Raini and Joshimath (16km downstream) was 10m/s. The study also estimated the mean discharge from the videos — 8,200-14,200 cubic metre per second (m3/s) at the Rishiganga project and 2,900-4,900 m3/s at the Tapovan project. Rashid said, “The maximum flood heights in certain river valley areas touched ~100 m, which is something that none of the team members had expected.”
		+
		+	Because the flow was highly mobile, another anomaly occurred. “Notably, and in contrast to most previously documented rock avalanches, very little debris is preserved at the base of the failed slope,” the paper said. As the flow turned more fluid downvalley, there were “remarkably few large boulders that typically form the upper surface of rock avalanches.”
		+
		+	But one of the primary drivers of the disaster, the paper said, was “the unfortunate location of multiple hydropower plants in the direct path of the flow.” Co-author Dr Mohd Farooq Azam from IIT-Indore told TOI, “The greater magnitude of the latest Chamoli disaster is an argument in favour of avoiding further developments in the fragile mountains of the Himalaya.” The paper concluded, “The disaster tragically revealed the risks associated with the rapid expansion of hydropower infrastructure into increasingly unstable territory.”

	[[Category:India\|C CHAMOLI: GLACIER BURST, 2021CHAMOLI: GLACIER BURST, 2021		[[Category:India\|C CHAMOLI: GLACIER BURST, 2021CHAMOLI: GLACIER BURST, 2021