Manas Dasgupta
NEW DELHI, Feb 7: At least 10 people are killed and another about 150 reported missing in a flash flood in Rishiganga river following a glacial burst in Raini area near Joshimath that hit the Rishiganga dam in Chamoli district in Uttarakhand on Sunday morning.
The worst-hit was the 13.2 MW capacity Rishiganga hydro power project which was totally washed out. The most of the deceased were also in the same area while the majority of the missing persons were said to be the labourers working in the power project at the time.
The flash flood also affected the downstream hydro project of NTPC at Tapovan on the river Dhauliganga, which is a tributary of the river Alaknanda, the NTPC said in a statement.
Homes along the way were swept away as the waters rushed down the mountainsides in a raging torrent. There were fears of damage in human settlements downstream. Many villages were evacuated and people taken to safer areas.
Official sources said 10 bodies were recovered till evening while at least 50 workers trapped inside a tunnel in Rishiganga are feared dead. Around 150 labourers working at the Rishiganga power project are reported missing as they may have been directly affected by the disaster, State Disaster Response Force DIG Ridhim Aggarwal said. “Representatives of the power project have told me that they are not being able to contact around 150 of their workmen at the project site,” she said.
“Fifty to a 100 workers are missing,” the Uttarakhand Director-General of Police Ashok Kumar said. More information on the fate of the workers is awaited. Official sources, however, said the fear that the incident could cause flash floods in the river Ganga down to Haridwar seemed to have been averted as the water level in most of the affected rivers had started receding and the impact had not reached to Haridwar where massive preparations are on for holding the “Kumbh Mela” later this month.
The Uttarakhand Chief Minister T.S. Rawat tweeted that the flow of the Alaknanda River ahead of Nandaprayag had stabilised. “The River is flowing one metre above the danger level but the flow is reducing,” he said. “The worst seems to be over,” a senior government official said.
The Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) which has a major camp in Joshimath have been rushed to the affected areas for rescue and relief operations while one National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) team from Dehradun and one from Ghaziabad have been sent for rescue operations while three more teams are being air lifted from Ghaziabad to join the rescue operations.
Orders have been issued to the districts on the Ganga River in Uttar Pradesh to be put on high alert after reports of the breaking of a part of Nandadevi Glacier in neighbouring Uttarakhand, a senior U.P. official said on Sunday. If required, people need to be evacuated and taken to safe places, the district magistrates were instructed.
The National Crisis Management Committee (NCMC) under the chairmanship of Cabinet Secretary Rajiv Gauba met today to review the situation arising out of the natural disaster in Uttarakhand caused by glacial burst, says a government statement.
Sources said 12 persons trapped in a tunnel have been rescued by the ITBP; while efforts are on to rescue others trapped in another tunnel, which is being co-ordinated by the Army and ITBP. All out efforts are being made to ensure that all missing people are traced and accounted for, the source said.
Describing the sequence of events, the ITBP said the flash flood was reported at 10:45 am in the Rishiganga river after a glacier broke. “It exponentially increased the volume of water. Due to this, the Rishiganga hydro project near Raini village was completely devastated,” it said in a statement.
The Rishiganga Hydroelectric Project (RGHEP) is a run-of-river hydroelectric project for development on the Rishiganga River, a tributary of the Alaknanda River, in the Chamoli district.
“The BRO bridge on Joshimath-Malari highway was also completely washed away. There were six grazers with their livestock and they were also taken away by flash flood,” the force further said.
The NTPC project in Tapovan was swept away completely. At least 40 people were working at the plant, local authorities said.
The disaster also affected connectivity at the ITBP border outposts and washed away three bridges.
Around 17 labourers, who had entered a tunnel, are safe and in the process of being evacuated by the ITBP.
Meanwhile, the army said that six columns (around 600 personnel) are moving towards the flood-affected areas. “Indian Army has deployed choppers and troops for supporting Uttarakhand government and NDRF to tackle the flood. Military station near Rishikesh actively involved in the coordination of rescue and relief operations with local administration. Army headquarters are monitoring the situation,” said Army.
The president Ram Nath Kovind, vice-president M Venakiah Naidu, the prime minister Narendra Modi, the Congress president Sonia Gandhi and many other leaders have expressed concern over the tragedy and prayed for the safety of those missing.
Modi, who was official visits to Assam and West Bengal ahead of the state Assembly elections, said he was in constant touch with the Uttarakhand chief minister, the union home minister and the rescue and relief teams and said the centre would provide all necessary assistance to the state to meet the situation arising out of the natural disaster.
“We are at one bank of river Ganga, but the State which is the origin of the river is facing a natural disaster. A part of glacier has fallen in the river and the river water has risen at various places,” Modi said while visiting Haldia to inaugurate projects worth nearly ₹5000 crores. “I am in constant touch with Uttarakhand CM, Union Home Minister and the officials of NDRF. People are being evacuated and taken to safe places. We are all praying for the safety of people of Uttarakhand,” he added.
President Kovind said he was deeply worried about the massive glacier burst at Joshimath and prayed for the wellbeing and safety of people.
In a tweet, Kovind also said he was confident that rescue and relief operations on ground are progressing well.
“Deeply worried about the glacier burst near Joshimath, Uttarakhand, that caused destruction in the region. Praying for wellbeing and safety of people. Am confident that rescue and relief operations on ground are progressing well,” he tweeted.
In 2013, more than 1,000 people were killed in Uttarakhand heavy rains triggered landslides and floods, washing away thousands of houses and roads leading to the famous Kedarnath shrine and cutting communication links in many parts of the state.