Chamoli: Seven people were killed and 170 missing on February 7, after a glacier break in Uttarakhand’s Chamoli district triggered massive flooding. Another report said ten bodies have died.

Many villages were evacuated as floods of the Alaknanda and Dhauliganga rivers swept away five bridges, damaged homes and the nearby NTPC power plant, and washed away a small hydro power project near Rishiganga. Six people were injured.

National and state disaster response teams have been deployed, as have teams from the Indo Tibetan Border Police. The Army has sent six columns and the Navy seven diving teams.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi tweeted: “India stands with Uttarakhand and the nation prays for everyone’s safety.”

As many as 170 people – 148 employed at the NTPC plant and 22 at Rishiganga – were missing. Twelve people trapped in an under-construction tunnel have been rescued by an ITBP team. Around 30 others are trapped in a second tunnel, reportedly around 2.5 km long, and the ITBP will work through the night to save them, spokesperson Vivek Pandey, said.

Uttarakhand Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat said seven bodies had been found at a construction site. Rawat who visited Chamoli district earlier in the day, said rescue teams were “doing their best to save the lives of the workers”. He also said a team of scientific experts would work to establish the exact cause of the disaster at a later stage.

Rawat also announced 400,000 rupees compensation for the family of those killed. An extra 200,000 rupees will be given from the Prime Minister’s National Relief Fund, with 50,000 rupees for those with serious injuries.

Prime Minister Modi tweeted to say he had spoken to Rawat, and said: “Am constantly monitoring the unfortunate situation… India stands with Uttarakhand and the nation prays for everyone’s safety there.” Home Minister Amit Shah also tweeted; he said the Modi government stood shoulder-to-shoulder with the people of Uttarakhand.

The National Crisis Management Committee met late in the evening and said information from the Central Water Commission indicated there was no danger of downstream flooding at this point, and that the rise in water levels had been contained. There is also no threat to the neighboring villages, the NCMC said after it met.

Medical teams have been rushed to affected sites. A 30-bed hospital was readied at Joshimath and hospitals in Srinagar, Rishikesh, Jollygrant and Dehradun are on standby.

Five NDRF teams were mobilized at first. By Sunday evening three more were deployed, with five tons of relief equipment, from Ghaziabad’s Hindon Air Force base. Teams are also being airlifted from Dehradun to Joshimath. Two ITBP teams and several SDRF teams have also been mobilised. The Army has sent six columns, each with 100 soldiers, as well as medical teams and an engineering task force with earth-moving equipment. Seven Navy diving teams have also been deployed.

Videos and images showed the massive burst of water tearing through a narrow valley below the power plant, leaving roads and bridges destroyed in its wake. Authorities emptied two dams in a bid to stop the flood waters from reaching Rishikesh and Haridwar, where people were barred from going near the Ganga riverbanks.

Massive flash floods and landslides hit Uttarakhand’s Kedarnath in June 2013 after a multi-day cloudburst. Over 5,700 people were killed in one of the country’s worst natural disasters since the 2004 tsunami. The floods also damaged parts of the famous Kedarnath temple, which is located 3,581 meters above sea level.

Melting of Himalayan glaciers has doubled since the start of the 21st century due to rising temperatures, a study published in 2019 said. Scientists analyzed 40 years of satellite observations across India, China, Nepal and Bhutan, which indicates climate change is eating Himalayan glaciers. This potentially threatens water supply for hundreds of millions of people in these countries, including India.

The Uttarakhand government has made the following helplines for the Disaster Operations Center available to those stuck in affected areas or in need of any help: 1070 or 9557444486

Source: ndtv.com