Uttarakhand: Cloudbursts had occurred thrice in past in Dharali, experts had suggested shifting of village, area is also highly sensitive for earthquakes
A cloudburst in Dharali village of Uttarkashi in Uttarakhand at 1.45 pm on Tuesday caused massive destruction. 4 people died in this, while more than 60 people are missing.
Clouds bursts occurred on the mountain in Dharali village in 1864, 2013 and 2014. Due to this, Kheer River caused havoc. After all three disasters, geologists advised the state government to settle Dharali village somewhere else. It was also told that Dharali is sitting on a time bomb in terms of disaster. But, it was not shifted.
According to geologists, Dharali is in the Main Central Thrust present in Trans Himalayas (above 4 thousand meters). This is a crack, which connects the main Himalayas to the Trans Himalayas. This is also a highly sensitive zone for earthquakes. The mountain from which the Kheer Ganga river comes is 6 thousand m high, whenever there is a flood from there, it devastates Dharali.
About 6 months ago, a part of the mountain was breaking and falling into the Kheer river. But it got stuck. Probably this time the same part has broken and fallen down.
Meanwhile, relief teams, including forces of the Indian Army, the State Disaster Response Force, National Disaster Response Force and Fire department and police are engaging in rescue efforts, officials said.
Apart from Dharali, cloudburst has occurred in Harshil and Sukki. The administration says that the death toll may increase.
Nine Army soldiers missing
Indian Army spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Manish Srivastava told, "The Indian Army is engaged in relief and rescue operations after the devastating debris in Kheer Ganga of Dharali."
He said, "Amidst this tragedy, Colonel Harshvardhan, Commanding Officer of 14 Rajputana Rifles, is leading the relief and rescue operations with 150 soldiers."
"However, Colonel Harshvardhan's unit has also been affected by heavy rains and nine of his soldiers are still missing. These Indian Army soldiers went missing when water entered the army camp in Harshil."
He said that in fact, a total of 11 soldiers went missing after water entered the camp, but later two soldiers were found safe. The remaining nine soldiers are still missing. Their search is on. Manish Srivastava said, "This team of the Indian Army is engaged in the operation diligently to rescue the civilians. This team has also rescued 20 people safely so far. Additional troops are also being sent to speed up the relief work."
1500 years old Kalp Kedar temple also destroyed
The ancient Kalp Kedar Mahadev temple located in Dharali also got buried in the debris in the disaster. This 1500 years old temple located on the banks of Bhagirathi river is associated with the Panch Kedar tradition. It was the biggest center of faith for the local people.
Prakash Kumar Pandey