Chamoli glacier burst: Scientists have expressed apprehension, because of this catastrophic disaster in the rainy region.
Scientists of the Wadia Institute of Himalayan Geology have expressed apprehension about the catastrophic disaster that occurred in the Rainey area of Niti Valley in Chamoli district, due to the snow avalanche as well as the destruction of the glacier in the Rainey region. However, scientists of the institute say “what is the real cause of the disaster?” This will be known only after a detailed scientific investigation”. Senior scientist of the institute, Dr. SK Rai explained that the area which had a terrible disaster earlier had received heavy snowfall along with rain there for the past two days.
This resulted in heavy snow accumulation in the upper regions. According to the scientists of the institute, as the temperature decreased, the glaciers became tighter and their evanescence also increased. It is also feared that due to the erosion in the area where the disaster occurred, the upper surface would have rapidly slipped down with snow and debris. However, what is the real cause of the disaster will be revealed only after a study conducted by teams of scientists. As per Tribune reports, tenpersonswerekilledand over 125 went missing after a portion of the Nanda Deviglacierbroke off inUttarakhand’sChamoli district today, triggering an avalanche and a deluge in the Alaknanda river system that swept away a hydropower project and ravaged several villages downstream.
Other glaciers in Uttaralhand
According to the scientists of the Wadia Institute of Himalayan Geology, in the Garhwal region of Uttarakhand, Yamunotri, Gangotri, Dokriyani, Bandarpunchh glacier in Uttarkashi, besides Dronagiri, Hipravamak, Badrinath, Satopanth, and Bhagirathi glacier are located in Chamoli district. Apart from this, the Chaurabadi glacier, Khatling, and Kedar glacier are located behind the Kedarnath shrine in Rudraprayag district. As far as some of the major glaciers in the Kumaon region are concerned, Pithoragarh has major glaciers like Milam Glacier, Kali, Narimik, Hiramani, Sona, Pinaura, Ralam, Ponting, and Mayola. In the same Bageshwar region, there are some major glaciers like Sunderdhunga, Sukhram, Pindari, Kapnani, and McTolli.
Largest glacier in Uttarakhand
As far as the largest glacier in Uttarakhand is concerned, the Gangotri Glacier is the largest glacier made up of four glaciers Ratanavan, Chaturanga Swachand, and Kailash. The Gangotri glacier is 30 kilometers long and two kilometers wide. Recent research has revealed that the Gangotri glacier is slipping 22 meters behind every year due to changes in the environment. As far as the second-largest glacier is concerned, the Pindari glacier is 30 km long and 400 wide. This glacier is located between Trishul, Nanda Devi, and Nanda Kot mountains.
According to the scientists of the Wadia Institute of Himalayan Geology, most of the glaciers in Uttarakhand are alpine glaciers. They are placed in the category of Alpine Glacier because they are built on Alpine shaped mountains. According to scientists, Alpine glacier is extremely dangerous in terms of snow avalanche and breakdown. The reason is that due to the rain and snowfall in the mountainous regions during the cold season, the Alpine glacier increases the load of several lakh tons of ice, due to which there is a great risk of the glacier slipping and breaking. According to the scientists of the institute, Alpine glaciers create deep ravines along with bringing huge destruction.
