Thursday, April 3, 2025

Lake formed due to blocking of stream

Date:

Share post:

Dehradun/New Delhi/Tapovan, Feb 12: The debris brought by the avalanche in Uttarakhand earlier this week has blocked a stream that joins the Rishi Ganga river forming a temporary lake which if breached can cause further damage in the valley, said a report by the Wadia Institute of Himalayan Geology.
According to its director Kalachand Sain, a team of scientists from the institute conducted an aerial survey of the upper reaches of the Rishi Ganga just a day after the Sunday avalanche and spotted the new glacial lake there. The team took some photographs of the lake taken from a helicopter.
It seems that the recent avalanche has led to its formation in the higher stretches of the Rishi Ganga’s catchment area, he said. “Our scientists are examining the size of the lake, its periphery and the volume of water it contains to ascertain how big and immediate the danger from it is,” Sain told PTI.
According to the report by the Wadia Institute of Himalayan Geology (WIHG), an organisation of the Department of Science and Technology, the assessment of the actual magnitude of risk involved due to this impoundment of water requires a detailed survey.
“The catastrophic floods on Sunday also brought sediments in the Rishi Ganga river. Since the width of the river is very less in the upper stretches, the sediments have blocked a stream forming a lake which may breach and cause further damage in the valley,” Sain said. A portion of the Nanda Devi glacier broke off in Uttarakhand’s Chamoli district on Sunday, triggering an avalanche and a deluge in the Alaknanda river system that washed away hydroelectric stations and endangered lives of people living along the banks.
Two more bodies recovered
Two more bodies were recovered from the flash flood-hit areas of Uttarakhand’s Chamoli district on Friday, taking the toll in the calamity to 38, as rescue teams battled on against the odds for the sixth consecutive day to get to 25-35 people trapped in a sludge-choked tunnel here. (PTI)

Related articles

Trump unveils tariffs

Washington, April 2: President Donald Trump announced plans for sweeping tariffs Wednesday, saying "our country has been looted,...

SC quashes HC order against The Shillong Times

NEW DELHI, April 2: The Supreme Court of India has quashed a contempt proceeding against The Shillong Times...

Kharlukhi raps Biren for remarks on PA Sangma

SHILLONG, April 2: Former NPP state president and Rajya Sabha MP WR Kharlukhi on Wednesday criticised former Manipur...

New snakehead species of fish found in Chokpot

SHILLONG, March 2: Meghalaya has once again gained recognition in the scientific community with the discovery of a...