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A glacier broke off in Joshimath in Uttarakhand’s Chamoli district around 10:45 am on Sunday, causing a massive flood in the Dhauli Ganga river and endangering the lives of people living along its banks. Here are the top 10 things you need to know:
1. Sixteen workers trapped in a tunnel near Tapovan dam have been successfully rescued by ITBP personnel till now. About 125 labourers working at a power project in Tapovan-Reni are missing. Ten bodies have been recovered, ITBP Spokesperson Vivek Pandey said. ITBP official Vivek Pandey told ANI that rescue operations were now focused on a second tunnel, where 30 people are estimated to be trapped. “We will be carrying out night operations also. Our teams are already on the job and we hope that we’ll be able to rescue them,” he said.
NDRF IG Amrendra Kumar Sengar said because of the flow of water being fast initially, bodies were being recovered far away from the incident site. “Some are trapped in deep areas and others in tunnels, so there is issue of access,” he said.
2. Several districts, including Pauri, Tehri, Rudraprayag, Haridwar and Dehradun, are likely to be affected and have been put on high alert. Rafting has been stopped in Rishikesh. The water level of the Dhauli Ganga river at Joshimath flowed at a perilously high level, breaching all records, Central Water Commission officials said after the incident. “At 11 am, the water level recorded at Joshimath was 1,388 metres,” Saumitra Haldar, Chairman, Central Water Commission said. During the 2013 Uttarakhand flash floods, the highest flood level (HFL) at Joshimath was 1,385.54 metres, he added.
3. Earlier reports had stated that Tapovan Barrage and Srinagar Dam have also sustained damaged. Rishikesh Dam has been destroyed in the floods.
The 13.2 MW small hydro project on the Rishiganga river was swept away in the glacier burst but there is no danger of floods in the downstream areas as the water level has been contained. This was conveyed to the National Crisis Management Committee (NCMC), headed by Cabinet Secretary Rajiv Gauba, at an emergency meeting. The NCMC was also informed that people trapped in a hydropower project tunnel were rescued by the ITBP, while efforts are on to rescue those trapped in another tunnel. The flash flood also affected the downstream hydro project of NTPC at Tapovan on the river Dhauli Ganga, which is a tributary of the river Alaknanda. However, there is no danger of downstream flooding, and the rise in water level has been contained, as per the information given by the Central Water Commission (CWC).
The Rishikesh-Joshimath-Mana road, which was blocked at Hathipahad due to flash flood in Dhauli Ganga was reopened for traffic by Border Roads Organisation by late Sunday afternoon after road clearance operation. Several BRO teams are in the area for relief operations, said the body. (Image: ANI)
4. Uttarakhand Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat appealed to people to not spread rumours through old flood videos. He said all districts concerned have been alerted and people have been asked not to go near the Ganga. Rawat cancelled all his programmes scheduled for the day.
5. The Uttar Pradesh government on asked authorities in all districts on the banks of the Ganga river to be on high alert and continuously monitor the water level after the incident. In a disaster alert issued to all district magistrates in Uttar Pradesh on Sunday, the relief commissioner said, “Report of breaking of a part of the Nanda Devi Glacier in Uttarakhand has been received. The districts on the (banks of the) Ganga river need to be on a high alert and the monitoring of water level needs to be done 247. “If required, people need to be evacuated. The NDRF, SDRF and PAC Flood Company have been instructed to be on the highest alert,” the statement added. In a tweet in Hindi, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said, “To tackle the natural disaster in Uttarakhand, the UttarPradesh government will extend all possible help.”
6. On a visit to poll-bound Assam and West Bengal, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been monitoring the situation. “Am constantly monitoring the unfortunate situation in Uttarakhand. India stands with Uttarakhand and the nation prays for everyone’s safety there. Have been continuously speaking to senior authorities and getting updates on NDRF deployment, rescue work and relief operations,” he tweeted. He later approved an ex-gratia of Rs 2 lakh each from PMNRF for the next of kin of those who have lost their lives due to the tragic avalanche caused by a Glacier breach in Chamoli, Uttrakhand. Rs 50,000 would be given to those seriously injured.
PM @narendramodi has approved an ex-gratia of Rs. 2 lakh each from PMNRF for the next of kin of those who have lost their lives due to the tragic avalanche caused by a Glacier breach in Chamoli, Uttrakhand. Rs. 50,000 would be given to those seriously injured.
— PMO India (@PMOIndia) February 7, 2021
7. ITBP and NDRF teams rushed to flood-hit areas in Uttarakhand to undertake relief and rescue work, officials in New Delhi said. NDRF DG SN Pradhan said that teams of the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) are already deployed in Joshimath. National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) has moved from Dehradun to Joshimath. “We are organising airlift for three to four more teams from Delhi to Dehradun and then to Joshimath,” he added.
8. Army officials had previously said that six columns (around 600 personnel) of the Indian Army were moving towards the flood-affected areas. According to the latest update, these are the columns deployed at the Ringi Village near Joshimath, till now:
• Two columns from Joshimath and two columns from Auli have been deployed. Two columns are on standby.
• An engineering task force with two JCBs has been deployed.
• A medical column with two ambulances has been deployed.
• Army aviation: Two Cheetah helicopters deployed.
• A control room has been established at Joshimath.
• 60 NDRF personnel have moved from Hindon to the JollyGrant Airport in IAF C130.
• One more C-130 and one AN-32 ready at Hindon for additional NDRF teams.
• Three IAF Mi-17 positioned at JollyGrant to airlift NDRF teams to Joshimath.
• MARCOS teams, 16 personnel at New Delhi and 40 at Mumbai ready for deployment.
• Field hospital ready for receiving casualties.
ANI reported that two IAF C-130 aircraft from AFS Hindan have positioned NDRF teams at Dehradun, where Mi-17 and ALH helicopters are deployed for onward deployment to Joshimath.
#WATCH: As part of IAF disaster relief Task Force, a C130J Super Hercules transport aircraft landed at the Jolly Grant airport in Dehradun with rescue teams and other heavy equipment on board. pic.twitter.com/4D9Eg2NvmT
— ANI (@ANI) February 7, 2021
9. Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani on Sunday requested his counterpart Trivendra Singh Rawat to ensure immediate help and rescue of pilgrims from Gujarat stranded in the northern state. Rupani has also instructed Gujarat chief secretary Anil Mukim to contact the Uttarakhand administration and take immediate action in this regard, the Chief Minister’s Office (CMO) said in a release.
10. Earlier Study Warned of Glaciers Melting: Today’s disaster recalls a 2019 study that warned about the dangers of climate change and said Himalayan glaciers have been melting twice as fast since the start of this century. The glacier collapse at Joshimath led to a massive flood in the Alaknanda river system and caused large-scale devastation in the upper reaches of the ecologically fragile Himalayas.Two years earlier in June 2019, a study spanning 40 years of satellite observations across India, China, Nepal and Bhutan, indicated that climate change is eating the Himalayas’ glaciers. The study, published in the journal Science Advances in June 2019, shows that glaciers have been losing the equivalent of more than a vertical foot and half of ice each year since 2000 — double the amount of melting that took place from 1975 to 2000.
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