Making of a killer flood
Every river remembers its course. The calamity in Uttarkashi was waiting to happen, and blame lies squarely on human activity
Updated At : 07:29 AM Aug 17, 2025 IST
The devastation caused in Dharali village on August 5. The original village is 100 metres above the area. Photo courtesy: Rahul Kothiyal
The observations of experts are clear regarding the Dharali flood. A lake was created in the catchment of Kheer Ganga in the high reaches somewhere along the 7-km-long course of the river. It was not a cloudburst, the experts say. Due to glacial snow and rains, it broke and the flood brought with it silt, mud, stones, bushes, trees and whatever came in its way. Here the Bhagirathi is wide so it could not be obstructed.
