Not cloudburst, glacial melt may have ravaged Dharali

Located in Uttarkashi district of Uttarakhand, Dharali which bore the brunt of flashfloods on August 5, falls in Bhagirathi eco sensitive zone (ESZ).

While the IMD has denied the occurrence of cloudburst, experts point to the unregulated constructions in the ecologically sensitive Dharali. “Uttarkashi received only 27 mm of rain on Tuesday. This is too little for a cloudburst or flashflood of such devastating intensity,” an official from the IMD said.

Ravi Chopra, who headed a Supreme Court-appointed high-powered committee which appraised the Char Dham project in-depth said Dharali was an ecologically sensitive area. “These are the areas where population should not be settled. Dharali was a small temple town. It is a very sensitive area geologically and ecologically. Due to the Char Dham project, it has become a tourist spot. Several hotels and homestays have come up,” he said.

Chopra said a huge glacial wall might had melted in the upper reaches and triggered the flashflood. “It is basically an avalanche which gathers an immense amount of energy while coming down,” he said.

On August 6, a road collapse near Bhatwari halted rescue operations in Uttarkashi, a day after cloudbursts, flash floods and mudslides wreaked havoc in the district.

Chopra said the headquarters of Bhatwari block is located on the stretch from Dharasu to Gangotri. “The slope here has been sliding away over a period of time. We had said the road widening was not recommended here,” he said.

According to IMD, a cloudburst is an extreme amount of precipitation in a short period of time sometimes accompanied by hail and thunder, which is capable of creating flood conditions. Rain at a rate of over 100 mm an hour with strong winds and lightning across 20-30 sq km is termed a cloudburst.