Uttarakhand dam disaster: Race to rescue 150 people missing in India
Uttarakhand: The floodwaters burst open a dam and a deluge of water poured through a valley in the state of Uttarakhand on Sunday. Most of the missing are believed to be workers from two hydropower plants.
The rescue effort is focused on several sites, including a tunnel, more than 200 meters long more than 30 people were apparently trapped inside. When the torrent of icy water swept down the valley, carrying rocks and earth as it gathered speed.
According to India’s NDTV broadcaster, the tunnel is blocked with slush and debris. There has been no contact with the workers since Sunday. Officials say it is hard to tell where in the tunnel they are and whether they are together. Hundreds of troops, paramilitaries, and military helicopters are sent to the region to help with rescue efforts.
Rescue workers and locals have been using shovels and mechanical diggers to try and clear the entrance to the tunnel. NDTV reported that rescuers had also seen with wooden planks to help them wade through the mud. An investigation is continuing into what caused the suspected glacial burst. Speaking from the hospital, one man describes the moment the tunnel flooded.
“We held on to the tunnel. We held on for about an hour. As the water receded, we slowly climbed onto the big rocks that flowed in, to take a breath. We had lost hope. We didn’t think we would survive.”
Rescue Mission after glacier bursts India dam:
Uttarakhand police said an avalanche struck at about 11:00 local time on Sunday, destroying a dam known as the Rishiganga Hydroelectric Project.
Police said the impact catapulted water along the Dhauliganga river, damaging another power project downstream in the Tappan area. A senior police official said a bridge in the Tapovan area that connected 13 villages. It is washing away in the avalanche. Food packets are airdrop in some of these villages.
What caused the flood?
The remoteness of where this happened means no-one has a definitive answer, so far. Experts say one possibility is that massive ice blocks broke off the glacier due to a temperature rise, releasing a huge amount of water.
That could have caused avalanches bringing down rocks and mud. “This is a strong possibility because there was a huge amount of sediment flowing down,” said DP Dobhal, a senior glaciologist formerly with the governments Wadia Institute of Himalayan Geology.
Experts say an avalanche could also have hit a glacial lake that then burst. Another possibility is that an avalanche or landslide may have dammed the river for some time, causing it to burst out after the water level rose.
Sunday’s disaster has prompted calls by environment groups to review power projects in the ecologically sensitive mountains. Avalanches are common phenomena in the catchment area, MPS Bisht, director of the Uttarakhand Space Application sensitive mountains. “Huge landslides also frequently occur.” Uma Bharti, a former resources minister, said she had spoken out against power projects on the Ganges and its tributaries.
