Lake burst behind Uttarakhand flash flood, MHA told

Everything gone in few seconds: Kishtwar recalls

- JITENDRA CHOUBEY @ New Delhi

A landslide-induced lake outburst triggered a chain reaction among several small lakes, resulting in a massive flash flood that devastated Dharali village in Uttarakhand's Uttarkashi district on August 5, reveals an internal preliminary report submitted to the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA).

"There are many small to medium-sized lakes upstream of Dharali village," said a scientist involved in preparing the report submitted to the MHA on August 14.

The report was prepared in consultation with the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO). According to the findings, numerous lakes have formed due to small and mild landslides, covering areas from half a hectare to 10 hectares, particularly over the past three decades as global warming has accelerated the melting of snow.

"Nevertheless, the report does not rule out other contributing factors, such as local landslide, avalanche, small-level glacial lake outburst floods (GLOF) combined with extremely heavy rainfall, which will be detailed in a future report," said the scientist.