UTTARAKHAND FLOODS 2021

The 2021 Uttarakhand flood, also known as the Chamoli disaster, began on 7

February 2021 in the environs of the Nanda Devi National Park,
a UNESCO World Heritage Site in the outer Garhwal
Himalayas in Uttarakhand state, India (Maps 1 and 2).  It was caused by a large
rock and ice avalanche consisting of material dislodged from Ronti peak. It
caused flooding in the Chamoli district, most notably in the Rishiganga river,
the Dhauliganga river, and in turn the Alaknanda—the major headstream of
the Ganges. The disaster left over 200 killed or missing, most were workers at
the Tapovan dam site.
Deaths: 83; 121 missing
Date: 7 February 2021, 12:14 pm IST
Property damage: Most houses are damaged. Few houses
that remain undamaged on the site were covered in slush up to
20 feet deep

Cause

The flooding was speculated to have been caused by a portion of the Nanda

Devi glacier breaking off early on 7 February, releasing the water trapped
behind the ice, and causing a glacial lake outburst flood.[8] Other reports
suggested that satellite images imply that a landslide may have triggered the
events. On 8 February 2021, The Times, London, reported that a flood was
caused by a portion of glacier being torn away and causing a landslide. In
satellite images, a 0.5 mi (0.80 km) scar is visible on the slopes of Nanda
Ghunti, a 20,700 ft (6,300 m) peak on the southwestern rim of the Nanda Devi
sanctuary, a wall of mountains surrounding the Nanda Devi massif (Maps 2, 3,
and 4).[11] According to an article in Scientific American, 12 February 2021, data
from Planet Labs was interpreted by Dan Shugar, a geomorphologist at
the University of Calgary, to suggest that a hanging glacier "15 football fields
long and five across" had separated from a mountain and plummeted into the
Ronti Gad, a tributary of the Rishiganga

Casualties and damage

Among the places most severely hit by the floods
are Joshimath, Rini, Nanda Devi National Park, Tapovan Vishnugad
Hydropower Plant and Sridhar.
The disaster left over 200 killed or missing. As of May 2021, "83 bodies
and 36 human body parts out of a total of 204 people missing have been
recovered so far."[17] Of the missing and dead, 140 were workers at the
Tapovan Hydropower Plant site.[18]
The 13-megawatt Rishiganga power project in Rini, on
the Rishiganga river, a tributary to the Dhauliganga River, was damaged
and 35 laborers working on the project were missing as of February
2021. The Chamoli district in Uttarakhand appeared to have been hit
hardest by the surging Dhauliganga River. The Dhauliganga Dam at the
confluence of the Rishiganga and Dhauliganga rivers was washed away
by the floodwaters.Chief Minister of Uttarakhand Trivendra Singh
Rawat stated that flash floods also impacted a much larger hydro project
owned by the NTPC with around 176 laborers working on a project
which had two tunnels where those workers were trapped. Senior police
officials told media that a bridge in the Tapovan area that connected 13
villages was washed away in the avalanche.

Relief efforts
Many villages were evacuated as authorities emptied two dams farther
down the river to stop the floodwaters from reaching towns
of Haridwar and Rishikesh. Two C-130J Super Hercules with 3 teams
of National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) have been deployed in the
rescue mission.