River Course Change, Unplanned Development Led To Uttarkashi Tragedy: Expert

NDTV

06-08-2025

New Delhi:
The mudslide in Uttarakhand's Uttarkashi district, which razed a village and buried scores of people, may not have been triggered by a cloudburst caused by heavy rain. Several experts have indicated that the area near Dharali village did not receive heavy rain in the hours preceding the calamity. Instead, a glacial pond burst could be behind the deluge that has left five people dead and scores missing, 11 soldiers among them, the experts have said.
Area Of Glacial Ponds
Dr DD Chauniyal, who teaches geography at Doon University's Nityanand Himalayan Research and Study Center and has extensively studied the Himalayan region, has said there are several glacial ponds in the snow-covered mountain areas north of Dharali village. "The river, Kheer Ganga, originates in this snow-covered area at a steep altitude. There are several glacial ponds in this area. Due to heavy rain and the melting of snow, these ponds had filled up. I think one of these ponds burst, and caused others to burst. And then water and debris flowed downstream with great force. The gradient is also very high. And then it hit Dharali," he explained.
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River Course Change
He added that the Kheer Ganga river flows downstream to merge with the Bhagirathi and Dharali is located near the confluence. Over the years, buildings have been constructed on both sides of Kheer Ganga's course. Dr Chauniyal said the river had a different route earlier. "With time, the course changed and the river started flowing upstream. Yesterday, the debris-laden river flowed along its previous course where settlements had come up, razing hotels, homes and markets."
Unplanned Construction's Impact
The senior professor also pointed out that the old Dharali village, located to the right of the river flowing downstream, is safe even though the area on its left was wiped out. "Earlier, people carefully chose the safe area to build their homes. The new settlements, built without planning for natural disasters, were razed. Earlier, this area was an agricultural land, then hotels came up, roads were built," he said. Dr Chauniyal said the devastation occurred within seconds, indicating that it may have been caused by a glacial pond burst. "Within seconds, the flow stopped. The same thing happened during the 2013 Kedarnath disaster," he said.
The Cloudburst Theory
In the hours that followed the mudslide, many attributed the tragedy to a cloudburst. A cloudburst refers to very heavy rainfall within a short period over a small area. Such a downpour in mountainous regions can lead to flash floods and landslides. But the weather officer's data raises questions about the cloudburst theory. Harsil received just 6.5 mm of rainfall yesterday. The cumulative rainfall in Harsil and Bhatwari over 24 hours was 9 mm and 11 mm, respectively, much lower than the threshold of 100 mm of rain within an hour that is known to trigger flash floods.
Rescuers Race Against Time
The mudslide razed homes, hotels and every construction in its wake. Scores of people are missing; these include 11 soldiers who were first responders after the calamity. Five bodies have been recovered so far as personnel of the Army, paramilitary forces and disaster response teams work tirelessly to locate those missing. Many of those missing are tourists and their relatives have been trying to track them down.
Mohsen Shahedi, NDRF's Deputy Inspector General (Operations), said more rescue teams can't reach Dharali due to continuous landslides blocking the Rishikesh-Uttarkashi highway. He said about 150 people have been rescued so far.
Development vs Environment
The Dharali tragedy has yet again brought to the spotlight the perils of unplanned construction in the ecologically sensitive Himalayan region. The argument in favour of development is the economic boost tourism brings to the hills, but recent calamities have shown the risks of rapid and unplanned construction in these fragile areas.
Speaking to the media, Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra advocated long-term preventive planning. "Every year, whether it's Himachal, Uttarakhand, or Wayanad, we are witnessing such disasters. We need a comprehensive strategy for prevention," she said.
Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav said it was time to revive socialist leader Ram Manohar Lohia's call to save the Himalayas and its rivers. "Not just Uttarakhand, but the entire hill region is repeatedly witnessing such large-scale destruction. We all need to come together and work in that direction," he said, according to a PTI report.
Congress MP Ranjeet Ranjan called it a "man-made calamity". "In the last session, we raised concerns with Defence and Environment ministers over the widening of roads for the Char Dham Yatra in vulnerable zones like Dharali. This is an eco-sensitive region near the Bhagirathi River. Bringing concrete into landslide-prone zones is a recipe for disaster. This is a man-made calamity," she told PTI Videos.