A breach in a glacier near a
power project at Raini village in Tapovan area of Uttarakhand’s Chamoli
district, resulted in sudden rise in water levels in Dhauliganga river, causing
heavy flooding in surrounding areas. People living on the banks of the
river have been evacuated and many are feared missing.
More than 150 labourers working at the Rishi Ganga power project may have been directly affected, said State Disaster Response Force DIG Ridhim Aggarwal.
Also read: Watch: Massive floods wreck havoc, destroy homes in Uttarakhand’s Chamoli district
What is a glacial burst?
Glacial burst is a breach in the glacier that causes water, dammed by glacier, to be is released. Glacial lakes, which carry million
of cubic metres of water, can gush out causing massive disasters.
Following the glacial
burst an avalanche takes place. It is commonly known as a snowslide. It occurs
when a mass of snow slides rapidly down an inclined slope, for example-
mountains, resulting in massive flood and costing the lives and properties of
humans.
Also read: High alert in UP as glacier breaks off in neighbouring Uttarakhand
They are very common at
mountaineous region due to the slope and accumulated snow on the top of
mountains.
Avalanches are of several kinds including rock avalanches
when huge rock shatters into pieces, ice avalanches when glacier breaks and
debris avalanches when unconsolidated materials such as soil and stones breaks.
