The Uttarakhand Floodsby Kamakshi Bali | 03-03-2021 01:28 |
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Greetings fellow readers! It is a pleasure to be able to write my first report as the Tunza Eco-Generation Ambassador. Stay tuned to me for keeping yourself updated with what¡¯s happening in India! The 7th of February 2021 greeted the people of Uttarakhand with a devastating flood that took the lives of thousands. It started in the environs of the Nanda Devi National Park which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site in the Garhwal Himalayas. The causes are still unknown, yet it is believed to have been caused by a landslide, an avalanche or a glacial lake outburst flood. The Chamoli District was completely flooded and the impact killed at least 70 people. According to The New York Times, scientists had warned the Government of India for many years that the Himalayas had been warming at a dangerously high rate and the region's ecosystem had become too physically exposed to the risks of development projects. According to BBC News, five scientists from the Wadia Institute of Himalayan Geology, Dehradun, India flew over the site in a helicopter, took photographs, and gathered other data; they consider the hanging glacier that cracked and plunged into the Rishiganga basin. The Rishiganga power project on the Rishiganga river was damaged and 35 laborer's working for this project were found to missing. The Dhaulignaga Dam was also washed away by the flood waters. The larger hydro project owned by the NTPC was also washed away and 180 laborer's were trapped. Thus, one can confirm how hard the economy of Uttarakhand was hit due to the flood. Many villages were evacuated and the authorities tried to stop the floodwaters from reaching towns of Haridwar by emptying two dams which was fortunately successful otherwise would have resulted in the death of another hundreds. Emergency crews managed to rescue 16 workers who had been trapped inside a tunnel. Although the government reacted quickly and established a better set of mitigation strategies and relief operations, many still continue to stay trapped and thousands have lost their lives or lost their households. Cudgel your brain. Coronavirus, and then the Uttarkhand floods. Doesn¡¯t it seem mother earth is trying to send us a message that we must now stop with polluting her for our greedy needs. |
