Missingpeople, soaring number of causalities, destruction of property and livestock;such is the state of Uttarakhand's Chamoli district because a massive glacier burstin the upper region of ecologically fragile Himalayas.
The reasonbehind the outburst is still unknown but anticipations are being made thatclimate change, less rainfall and reduction in snowfall has led to thislandslide. As per reports, there are around 200 glaciers in Uttarakhand and itis still unfounded which glacier burst. Maharaj K Pandit in the Department ofEnvironmental Studies and the director of Center for Interdisciplinary study ofMountain and Hill Environment at University of Delhi was quoted by Down toEarth, "The mountains are warming faster than other mountainranges......"
As many as 150casualties are reported while nine bodies have been recovered until now andsome people who were injured have been rescued. Labourers working at the RishiGanga power project have been affected, counting up to 150 said State DisasterResponse Force DIG Ridhim Aggarwal.
“Representativesof the power project have told me that they are not being able to contact around150 of their workmen at the project site," she said.
UttarakhandChief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat soon after the tragedy broke had convenedan emergency meeting to take stock of the situation and to supervise rescue andrelief operations. Though the impact of the disaster may not be felt inRishikesh and Haridwar, the temple towns were put on alert.
A governmentspokesman said that there was not much human habitation at the site where theglacier broke apart but several projects have been hit. The government hasappealed to the people not to venture near the Ganga river.
Severalnearby districts, including Pauri, Tehri, Rudraprayag, Haridwar and Dehradunhave been put on high alert.
30-bedhospital created in Joshimath
A 30-bedhospital created in Joshimath said CMO Chamoli who supervises the medical teamat Tapowan. Srinagar Medical College AIIMS Rishikesh and Jolly Grant Hospitalare on high alert. Rescue and relief operations are on and casualties arelikely to go up.
9 bodiesrecovered from NTPC site
9 bodieshave been recovered from the National Thermal Power Corporation Limited (NTPC)site in the Tapovan area following the glacier burst in the Chamoli district.100 workers were there at the site, sources say.
Amit Shahassures all help
Speaking toUttarakhand Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat, Union Home Minister hasassured the state of all possible help to deal with the situation emerging inthe wake of glacier burst and floods in the state's Chamoli district. NationalDisaster Response Force (NDRF) have been disposed of for rescue and reliefoperations of the affected people while additional troops of the force arebeing airlifted from Delhi, said Shah.
"Somemore teams of NDRF are being airlifted from Delhi and sent to Uttarakhand. Weare constantly monitoring the situation there," he said, adding that theCentral government is monitoring the situation.
Damagesin Tapovan area accessed by ITBP personnel.
ITBP personnelassess the damages in Tapovan and the area of Reni where the flash floodoccurred earlier today. "Over 200 jawans are on the job and working incollaboration with local administration. One team is on the spot to assess thesituation. Another team is deployed near Joshimath to raise awareness andevacuate people. The situation is under control," said Vivek Pandey, ITBPSpokesperson.
Casualtiesfeared to be between 100 to 150 said Uttarakhand Chief Secretary
As many as100 to 150 casualties and several labourers working at the Rishi Gangahydroelectric power project were feared missing after a glacier broke in DhauliGanga valley in Joshimath on Sunday morning, as said by Uttarakhand ChiefSecretary OM Prakash. A dam of the
Tapovanpower project was breached and feared to have been washed away.
Amconfident that rescue and relief operations on the ground are progressing well:President Kovind
“Deeplyworried about the glacier burst near Joshimath, Uttarakhand, that destroyed inthe region. Praying for the well being and safety of people. Am confident thatrescue and relief operations on the ground are progressing well”: TweetedPresident Ram Nath Kovind.
Constantlymonitoring the unfortunate situation in Uttarakhand: PM
PrimeMinister Narendra Modi today tweeted on the tragedy and said that “India Standswith Uttarakhand, nation prays for everyone safety there”. He said that he isconstantly monitoring the unfortunate situation in Uttarakhand. “Have beencontinuously speaking to senior authorities and getting updates on NDRFdeployment, rescue work and relief operations," the Prime Minister said.
Armyrushed for the rescue operation
Four columnsof around 400 personnel of the Army were sent to flood-affected areas. Thegovernment has asked the Army to help district administration and disasterteams of the central and state government in their rescue operations. IndianAir Force assets, both fixed wing as well as rotary, were on standby to provideall possible assistance to the affected persons. “Indian Air Force C-130 andAN-32 aircraft are being used to airlift National Disaster Response Force(NDRF) personnel," said a senior IAF official.
Emergencyhelpline numbers.
Anyonerequiring help can contact the following emergency numbers - 1070, 1905 and9557444486. I thank the state’s population in the affected regions for theircooperation and request everyone to maintain calm and not share unverifiedinformation on various platforms.
UPdistricts on alert
A disasteralert notice has been issued to all District Magistrates of the state whiledistricts on the Ganga riverbanks have been kept on high alert by UP ReliefCommissioner. "Reports of the breaking of a part of NandadeviGlacier in Uttarakhand has been received. The districts on the Ganga river needto be on high alert and continuous monitoring of water level needs to be done24×7. If required, people should be evacuated and taken to a safe place. NDRF,SDRF and PAC Flood Company are being given instructions to be on the highestalert. Please coordinate locally also," the notice said.
Whathappened?
Glacialbreaks in the Chamoli district of Uttarakhand triggered an avalanche andflooding of the Alaknanda and Dhauliganga rivers. Several labourers working atthe Rishi Ganga hydroelectric power project were feared missing after a glacierbroke in Dhauli Ganga valley in Joshimath on Sunday morning, sources said.
A dam of theTapovan power project was breached and feared to have been washed away. ITBPand SDRF personnel were rushed to the affected areas to evacuate strandedpeople. The rivers in the region have witnessed flash floods after the glacierbroke. Though the impact of the disaster may not be felt in Rishikesh andHaridwar, the towns were put on alert. A government spokesman said that therewas not much human habitation at the site where the glacier broke but severalpower projects have been hit.