Peculiarities of Dhauliganga flood of February 7, 2021 aroused interest of scientific community and much has been written so far on the causes, losses and response. It is however the turn of the DRR managers to act and put in place appropriate techno-legal regime to make the region safe from disasters in future.
Hydromet hazards
Climate change induced flood in Uttarakhand
The USDMA team suggests intermittent damming as being the cause of devastating winter season flooding of Dhauliganga river on February 7, 2021.
October heat & Uttarakhand disaster
Abnormal rainfall in the post-monsoon season of 2021 took toll of 82 human lives of which 22% were trekkers. This warrants a robust policy for high altitude trekking wherein safety of persons venturing to high altitude areas is ensured.
Slope monitoring around Nainital
Successful monitoring of the hill slope around the Naini lake by British Raj authorities highlights the importance of vision, resolve and will power over technology and resources.
Mitigation Measures to Protect the Lake City
Not many would believe, but the expert committee constituted 04 days after Sher-ka-Danda landslide carried out detailed field investigations, established the causes of slope instability, and recommended not only elaborate mitigation measures but also suitable implementation mechanism in just 19 days, and these were actually implemented on ground in less than 02 years. The Lake […]
Sher-ka-Danda landslide of 1880
More than the devastation caused in Nainital town, Sher-ka-Danda landslide of September 18, 1880 needs to be remembered not only by Disaster Managers but also by the masses for prompt and detailed post-disaster investigations, and enactment of not only mitigation but also monitoring measures undertaken during the British Raj. 18 सितम्बर 1880 को नैनीताल में […]
Frequent earthquakes & lessons for EEW system
In the morning hours of Saturday September 11, 2021 around 0558 hrs IST, the area around Pipalkoti and Joshimath in Chamoli district of Uttarakhand experienced violent ground shaking. Traumatised by the tremor and suspecting damage, people came out of their houses and remained outdoors for quite some time, apprehending a bigger one to follow. As is expected, […]
A HEP project that protected the Balia ravine
Conceived in 1918 Balia Nala hydroelectric power (HEP) project lighted up Nainital Municipality and provided water to its residents from 1922 to 1974, besides protecting the Balia ravine from erosion and earning revenue for the Municipality. 119 years after 1803 Garhwal Earthquake it was on September 1, 1922 that the lake city Nainital got regular electricity supply. […]
Lessons from August 1894 LLOF of the Alaknanda valley
2021 – Lake in the Rishiganga valley Winter season flash flood in Rishiganga–Dhauliganga valley of Uttarakhand Himalaya on February 7, 2021 caused major devastation, particularly around the hydropower projects at Rini and Tapoban in Chamoli district. Geomorphic changes brought forth by the flash flood created a lake on Rishiganga river that has been the focus of post-disaster […]
Landslide disasters and rainfall forecasts
Landslide is a commonly occurring phenomenon in all the mountainous regions of the world, with even the developed countries like Japan not spared. What however follows in these countries is quite different from what we practice. Rather than shifting the blame on abnormal rains and trying to manage landslides based on weather forecasts, the reasons that […]