Glacier burst in Devbhoomi Uttarakhand. What are Glacial bursts?

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 The Glacier collapse at Joshimath on Sunday led to a massive flood in the Dhauli Ganga river and caused large-scale devastation in the upper reaches of the ecologically Fragile Himalayas. Glacial breaks off in Uttarakhand's Chamoli district. A glacier burst in the Raini area of Chamoli in Garhwal Himalayas of Uttarakhand on Sunday caused a flashflood endangering the life of people living near the river bank. The flood has reportedly caused damage to the hydropower plant nearby. Authorities have sounded a high alert from Chamoli to Haridwar. The trail of this flash flood washed out the under-construction Tapovan-Vishnugad hydropower project on Rishiganga.

Over 150 people have lost their lives and over 150 are missing following the massive flood near the power project. The whole country stands with Uttarakhand in this tough time.


source: TOI Instagram

What are Glacial bursts?                                                                                                                  A glacial lake outburst flood (GLOF) is a release of meltwater from a moraine or ice dam glacial lake due to dam failure. GLOFs often result in catastrophic flooding downstream, with major geomorphic and socioeconomic impacts. 

GLOFs have three main features:

⦁ They involve sudden ( and sometimes cyclic) releases of water.

⦁ They tend to be rapid events, lasting hours to days.

⦁ They result in large downstream river discharges (which often increase by an order of magnitude).

The threat from Morain-dammed GLOFs is typically greatest during periods of glacier retreat, whereas ice-dammed GLOFs are highest during periods of glacial growth. Therefore, we might expect the number of Morain-dammed GLOFs to increase as mountain glaciers continue to shrink worldwide. However, because moraine dams are normally destroyed in lake outbursts, the number of GLOFs will likely start to decrease over time, as the capacity for storing glacial meltwater is gradually lost.

Failure can happen due to erosion, a buildup of water pressure, an avalanche of rock or heavy snow, an earthquake, or massive displacement of water in a glacial lake when a large portion of an adjacent glacier collapses into it. Conclude with solutions to address the problem such as early warning system, better land planning, etc.

Experts say, "Incremental use of reinforced concrete cement structures replacing the traditional wood and stone masonry is accelerating heat-island impact in the mountain region. There are more than 8000 glacial lakes in the Himalayas of which 200 are classified as dangerous".

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