Did a glacial lake breach trigger the Dharali disaster? Experts find some clues
Senior glaciologist Anil V Kulkarni told The Indian Express that satellite images from September 2022, a non-winter month, showed clues of past lake formations in the area where the Kheer Ganga originates from.
If a lake had indeed formed recently, it could have been breached due to movements in glacier mass, said Kulkarni, a distinguished scientist at Divecha Centre for Climate Change, Indian Institute of Science.
'The Kheer Ganga originates from glaciated terrain and September 2022 imagery shows that snow was melted, and one can clearly see landforms. A well-developed deglaciated valley can also be seen. This deglaciated valley is bounded by end moraine and a small river is passing between the end moraine and a side wall,' he said.
An end moraine is typically the far or end portion of a glacier mass and is made up of rocks, debris and sediments. Kulkarni said a meandering stream was above the end moraine, indicating terrain that could have seen lake formations in the past.
Kulkarni said there were indications that the lake might have formed due to a landslide from the end moraine. 'The (Dharali) flash flood of mud flow might have been caused due to an outburst of the lake. This could also explain past floods in the Kheer Ganga River. The channel is very steep and hence it must have crashed down quickly,' he said.
Glacial lakes are usually formed when meltwater from glaciers accumulates in terrains that are eroded or naturally dammed by movement of glaciers.
In the recent glacial lake outburst flood events, such as the South Lhonak lake incident in Sikkim in October 2023, about 14.7 million cubic metres of mass of ice, rock and sediments crashed into the lake, sending water, equal to 20,000 Olympic-sized swimming pools, crashing downstream.
Past analysis has shown, like in the case of the Kedarnath disaster, that there was a moraine dam that held together the Gandhi Sarovar or Chorabari lake above Kedarnath, Kulkarni said.
Officials from the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) said they were looking at a possible detachment of a glacial snout (the nose where glacier breaks) that could have carried massive quantities of debris downstream.
However, the officials added that they were coordinating with the National Remote Sensing Centre (NRSC) to analyse sharper images of the period leading up to the disaster.
An award-winning journalist with 14 years of experience, Nikhil Ghanekar is an Assistant Editor with the National Bureau [Government] of The Indian Express in New Delhi. He primarily covers environmental policy matters which involve tracking key decisions and inner workings of the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change. He also covers the functioning of the National Green Tribunal and writes on the impact of environmental policies on wildlife conservation, forestry issues and climate change.
Nikhil joined The Indian Express in 2024. Originally from Mumbai, he has worked in publications such as Tehelka, Hindustan Times, DNA Newspaper, News18 and Indiaspend. In the past 14 years, he has written on a range of subjects such as sports, current affairs, civic issues, city centric environment news, central government policies and politics. ... Read More
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Thus, trained and equipped teams consisting of local people must be set up in GLOF and LLOF prone areas,' the NDMA has said. These local teams, it has said, will assist in planning and setting up emergency shelters, distributing relief packages, identifying missing people, and addressing the needs for food, health care, water supply and sanitation, education, etc. They will also be useful in identifying the most vulnerable people who may need special assistance following the disaster. * The NDMA has also called for comprehensive alarm systems. 'Since GLOFs are very fast processes, an evacuation must be executed within a very short time, [which] requires an alarm infrastructure, clear protocols for all involved actors, and capacitation of the involved population and authorities. Besides classical infrastructure [such as] acoustic alarms by sirens, modern communication technology using cell phones can [be used],' the NDMA has said. * Specialized heavy earthmoving and search and rescue equipment should be made available to help clear debris and carry out search and rescue operations. It has also asked for motor launches, country boats, inflatable rubber boats, life jackets, lifebuoys, and similar equipment. Acknowledging that earthmovers cannot at times reach the disaster spot due to inaccessibility or roads being washed away, the NDMA has asked for 'innovative methods using locally available natural resources' to be used. 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'They will be activated to reach the affected areas immediately, along with dressing material, splints, portable X-ray machines, mobile operation theatres, resuscitation equipment and life-saving drugs, etc,' it has said. * It has also suggested the psychological counselling of victims, apart from the dissemination of accurate information following the disaster through press conferences and the use of mass media.
