Nanda Devi glacier outburst causes flooding in Uttarakhand: 15 dead, 170 missing

DEHRADUN: After a portion of the Nanda Devi glacier broke off on Feburary 7, 2021, a sudden flood broke out in the Dhauli Ganga, Rishi Ganga and Alaknanda rivers. The sudden outburst of flood has caused the death of 15 people, and over 170 people are missing at the time of writing this article. Two power projects namely NTPC’s Tapovan-Vishnugad hydel project and the Rishi Ganga Hydel Project, were extensively damaged and scores of laborers are still trapped in the tunnels.

According to Ashok Kumar, DGP of Uttrakhand, a bridge linking 13 villages was washed away and Rishi Ganga Hydel Project was destroyed completely. The police are searching extensively for the missing people and is supplying relief materials to the affected villages. A team of scientists belonging to The Snow and Avalanche Study Establishment (SASE) of the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), were flown to Dehradun  yesterday for surveillance and reconnaissance.

Today morning, after arduous efforts, the army has managed to clear the tunnel in which many people were supposed to be trapped. The United Nations has assured that it is ready to provide any help asked by the Indian authorities and will contribute to the relief operations. Experts are claiming that the glacier outburst is an impact of climate change, a process being ignored by governments across the world.