Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

A preliminary assessment of the 7th February 2021 flashflood in lower Dhauli Ganga valley, Central Himalaya, India

  • Published:
Journal of Earth System Science Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

A short-lived flashflood in Rishi and Dhauli Ganga rivers on 7th February 2021, Uttarakhand Himalaya, killed 65 people with 141 reported missing (official estimate) and devastated two hydropower projects. Geomorphological observations supported by meteorological data suggest that the flood was triggered by a combination of avalanche and debris flow. The Dhauli Ganga valley has preserved ponded sedimentary sequences (laminated sand and silty-clay), suggesting that the valley is prone to episodic mega foods in the recent geological past. Considering that the receding glaciers in the higher Himalaya have left behind enormous sediment, unusual weather events are likely to generate such disasters more frequently as the climate becomes warmer. Thus, the study calls for not only incorporating the disaster risk assessment in the developmental planning of the Himalayan region but also recommends routine monitoring of the potential areas of structural failures in the glaciated valleys along with supra-glacial lakes.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3
Figure 4
Figure 5
Figure 6
Figure 7

References

  • Ambach W, Blumthaler M and P Kirchlechner P 1981 Application of the gravity flow theory to the percolation of meltwater through firn; J. Glaciol. 27 67–75.

  • Armstrong R L 2010 The Glaciers of the Hindu Kush-Himalayan Region A summary of the science regarding glacier melt/retreat in the Himalayan, Hindu Kush, Karakoram, Pamir, and Tien Shan mountain ranges; International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development ICIMOD, Nepal, ISBN 9789291151738.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bandyopadhyay J and Ghosh N 2009 Holistic engineering and hydro-diplomacy in the Ganges–Brahmaputra–Meghna Basin; Econ. Polit. Wkly. 44(45) 50–60.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bisht M P S, Mehta M and Nautiyal S K 2011 Impact of depleting glaciers on the Himalayan biosphere reserve a case study of Nanda Devi Biosphere Reserve, Uttarakhand Himalaya; In: Mountain Resource Management: Application of Remote Sensing and GIS (eds) Bisht M P S and Pal D, Transmedia Publication, Srinagar, Uttarakhand, pp. 7–31.

    Google Scholar 

  • Björnsson H 1992 Jokulhlaups in Iceland: Prediction characteristics and simulation; Ann. Glaciol. 16 95–106.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fountain A G 1989 The storage of water in, and hydraulic characteristics of the firn of South Cascade Glacier, Washington State USA; Ann. Glaciol. 13 69–75.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fountain A G and Walder J S 1998 Water flow through temperate glaciers; Rev. Geophys. 3 299–328.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gruber S, Fleiner R, Guegan E, Panday P, Schmid M O, Stumm D, Wester P, Zhang Y and Zhao L 2017 Inferring permafrost and permafrost thaw in the mountains of the Hindu Kush Himalaya region; Cryosphere 11(1) 81–99.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Haeberli W 1983 Frequency and characteristic of glacier floods in the Swiss Alps; Ann. Glaciol. 4 85–90.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Haeberli W, Hallet B, Arenson L, Elconin R, Humlum O, Kääb A, Kaufmann V, Ladanyi B, Matsuoka N, Springman S and Mühll D V 2006 Permafrost creep and rock glacier dynamics; Permafr. Periglac. Process. 17(3) 189–214.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hewitt K 1982 Natural dams and outburst floods of the Karakoram Himalaya; In: Hydrological aspects of Alpine and high mountain areas (ed.) Glen J W, IAHS Publ. 138 259–269.

  • Hewitt K 2005 The Karakoram anomaly? Glacier expansion and the ‘elevation effect,’ Karakoram, Himalaya; Mountain Res. Dev. 25(4) 332–340.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hock R, Rasul G, Adler C, Cáceres B, Gruber S, Hirabayashi Y, Jackson M, Kääb A, Kang S, Kutuzov S, Milner A, Molau U, Morin S, Orlove B and Steltzer H 2019 High mountain areas; In: IPCC Special Report on the Ocean and Cryosphere in a Changing Climate (eds) Pörtner H O, Roberts D C, Masson-Delmotte V, Zhai P, Tignor M, Poloczanska E, Mintenbeck K, Alegría A, Nicolai M, Okem A, Petzold J, Rama B and Weyer N M, 2019.

  • IPCC 2018 Summary for Policymakers; In: Global Warming of 1.5°C. An IPCC Special Report on the impacts of global warming of 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels and related global greenhouse gas emission pathways, in the context of strengthening the global response to the threat of climate change, sustainable development, and efforts to eradicate poverty (eds) Masson-Delmotte, Zhai V P, Pörtner H, Roberts D, Skea J, Shukla P R, Pirani A, Moufouma-Okia W, Péan C, Pidcock R, Connors S, Matthews J B R, Chen Y, Zhou X, Gomis M I, Lonnoy E, Maycock T, Tignor M and Waterfield T, World Meteorological Organization, Geneva, Switzerland, 3p.

  • Ives J D 1986 Glacial lake outburst floods and risk engineering in the Himalaya: A review of the Langmoche disaster, Khumbu Himal, 4 August 1985; Occasional paper No. 5, Kathmandu, ICIMOD.

  • Ives J D, Shrestha R B and Mool P K 2010 Formation of glacial lakes in the Hindu Kush-Himalayas and GLOF risk assessment; Kathmandu, CIMOD.

    Google Scholar 

  • Juyal N 2010 Cloud burst-triggered debris flows around Leh; Curr. Sci. 99 1166−1167.

    Google Scholar 

  • Juyal N, Pant R K, Basavaiah N, Bhushan R, Jain M, Saini N K, Yadava M G and Singhvi A K 2009 Reconstruction of Late Glacial to early Holocene monsoon variability from relict lake sediments of the Higher Central Himalaya, Uttarakhand, India; J. Asian Earth Sci. 34 437−449.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Juyal N, Sundriyal Y, Rana N, Chaudhary S and Singhvi A K 2010 Late Quaternary fluvial aggradation and incision in the monsoon-dominated Alaknanda valley, Central Himalaya, Uttrakhand, India; J. Quat. Sci. 25 1293−1304.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Margreth S, Funk M, Tobler D, Dalban P, Meier L and Lauper J 2017 Analysis of the hazard caused by ice avalanches from the hanging glacier on the Eiger west face; Cold Reg. Sci. Technol. 144 63–72.

  • Mukherjee P K, Jain A K, Singhal Saurabh, Singha Nikunj B, Singh S, Kislay K, Seth P and Patel R C 2019 U–Pb zircon ages and Sm-Nd isotopic characteristics of the Lesser and Great Himalayan sequences, Uttarakhand Himalaya, and their regional tectonic implications;. Gondwana Res. 75 282–297, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gr.2019.06.001.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Oerter H 1982 Water storage and drainage within the firm of a temperate glacier (Vernagtferner, Oetztal Alps, Austria); In: Hydrological Aspects of Alpine and High-Mountain Areas; IAHS Publ. 138 71–81.

  • Petley D 2020 The valley blocking landslide at Rishi Ganga created by the Chamoli landslide; AGU blog, https://blogs.agu.org/landslideblog/2021/02/22/rishi-ganga/.

  • Pralong A and Funk M 2006 On the instability of avalanching glaciers; J. Glaciol. 52(176) 31–48, http://dx.doi.org/10.3189/172756506781828980.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Raj K B G and Kumar K V 2016 Inventory of glacial lakes and its evolution in Uttarakhand Himalaya using time series satellite data; J. Indian Soc. Remote Sens. 44 (6) 959–976.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rana N, Singh S, Sundriyal Y P and Juyal N 2013 Recent and past floods in the Alaknanda valley: Causes and consequences; Curr. Sci. 105 1209–1212.

    Google Scholar 

  • Randhawa R and Cohen P 2005 The role of the insulin-like growth factor system in prenatal growth; Mol. Genet. Metab. 86(1–2) 84–90.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Regmi D and Watanabe T 2009 Rockfall activity in the Kangchenjunga area, Nepal Himalaya; Permafr. Periglac. Process. 20(4) 390–398.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sah M, Philip G, Mool P K, Bajracharya S and Shrestha B 2005 Inventory of glaciers and glacial lakes and the identification of potential glacial lake outburst floods (GLOFs) affected by global warming in the mountains of Himalayan region: Uttaranchal Himalaya, India; Unpublished Project Report, ICIMOD, Kathmandu.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sathyakumar S 2003 Conservation status of mammals and birds in Nanda Devi National park: An assessment of changes over two decades; In: Biodiversity monitoring expedition, Nanda Devi, Uttaranchal forest Department, pp. 1−14.

  • Schneider T 1999 Water movement in the firn of Storglaciären, Sweden; J. Glaciol. 45(150) 286–294, https://doi.org/10.3189/s0022143000001787.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Special Correspondence 13 of 486 Uttarakhand glacial lakes vulnerable: GSI; The Hindu news, 22 Feb 2021, GSI, https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/13-of-486-uttarakhand-glacial-lakes-vulnerable.

  • Srivastava P, Kumar A, Mishra A, Meena N K, Tripathi J K, Sundriyal Y P, Agnihotri R and Gupta A K 2013 Early Holocene monsoonal fluctuations in the Garhwal higher Himalaya as inferred from multi-proxy data from the Malari paleolake; Quat. Res. 80 447–458.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sundriyal Y P, Shukla A D, Rana N, Jayangonda Perumal R, Srivastava P, Chamyal L S, Sati S P and Juyal N 2015 Terrain response to the extreme rainfall event of June 2013: Evidence from the Alaknanda and Mandakini River Valleys, Garhwal Himalaya, India; Episode 38 179−188.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Vincent C, Garambois S, Thibert E, Lefèbvre E, Le Meur E and Six D 2010 Origin of the outburst flood from Glacier de Tête Rousse in 1892 (Mont Blanc area, France); J. Glaciol. 56(198) 688–698.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Walder J S and Costa J E 1996 Outburst floods from glacier dammed lakes: The effect of mode of lake drainage on flood magnitude; Earth Surf. Process. Landf. 2 701–723.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wasson R J, Sundriyal Y P, Chaudhary S, Jaiswal M K, Morthekai P, Sati S P and Juyal N 2013 A 1000-year history of large floods in the Upper Ganga catchment, central Himalaya, India; Quat. Sci. Rev. 77 156–166.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

We are grateful to the editor, JESS and the reviewer for their valuable suggestions which helped in the improvement of the MS. Authors from HNB Garhwal University are thankful to DST for providing financial assistance vide project number DST/CCP/MRDP/187/2019(G) dated 29/06/2020, and are grateful to the Vice-Chancellor for extending all the cooperation. Naresh Rana gratefully acknowledges the various help extended during the field work by Narender Singh Rana, Ashish and Narayan Singh of Lata and Paing village.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Rural Technology, HNB Garhwal University, Srinagar, India

    Naresh Rana

  2. Department of Geography, Institute of Science, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, India

    Shubhra Sharma & Subhendu Pradhan

  3. Department of Geology, HNB Garhwal University, Srinagar, India

    Yaspal Sundriyal, Sameeksha Kaushik, Ghanshyam Tiwari & Firoz Khan

  4. VCSG Uttarakhand University of Horticulture and Forestry, Rani Chauri, Gharwal, India

    S P Sati

  5. Kabir Enclave, Bopal, Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India

    Navin Juyal

Authors
  1. Naresh Rana
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Shubhra Sharma
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Yaspal Sundriyal
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Sameeksha Kaushik
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Subhendu Pradhan
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  6. Ghanshyam Tiwari
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  7. Firoz Khan
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  8. S P Sati
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  9. Navin Juyal
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Contributions

Shubhra Sharma, Y P Sundriyal, S P Sati and Naresh Rana conceptualized the idea. Naresh Rana, Y P Sundriyal, Sameeksha, Ghanshyam and Firoz contributed in pre-disaster and post-disaster field investigation. Shubhra Sharma wrote the manuscript with inputs from all the authors. Subhendu Pradhan contributed in making the illustrations and meteorological analysis.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Shubhra Sharma.

Additional information

Communicated by N V Chalapathi Rao

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Rana, N., Sharma, S., Sundriyal, Y. et al. A preliminary assessment of the 7th February 2021 flashflood in lower Dhauli Ganga valley, Central Himalaya, India. J Earth Syst Sci 130, 78 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12040-021-01608-z

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Revised:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12040-021-01608-z

Keywords

Search

Navigation