Uttarakhand Floods of June 2013 and the Kedarnath Tragedy

8/16/2019 Uttarakhand Floods of June 2013 and the Kedarnath Tragedy

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WHAT COULD HAVEHAPPENED?

THE UTARAKAHND FLOODS OFJUNE 2013 AND

THE KEDARNATH TRAGEDY


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GEOGRAPHICAL SET UP


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UTTARAKHAND STATE

AREA - 53,484 sq.km

FOREST AREA - 34,651 sq.km. (63.93%)

HILLY AREA - 46,035 sq.km. (86.07%) PLAINS - 7,449 sq.km. (13.93%)

DIVISIONS - KUMAON AND GARHWAL

DISTRICTS - 13 6 IN KUMAON AND 7 IN GARHWAL


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DISTRICTS OF UTTARAKHAND


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MEAN ANNUAL RAINFALL


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DRAINAGE OF UTTARAKHAND

THE STATE IS DRAINED BY FOUR RIVER SYSTEMS

THE KALI/SARDA RIVER SYSTEM THE RAMGANGA RIVER SYSTEM

THE YAMUNA RIVER SYSTEM

THE GANGA RIVER SYSTEM

ALL THESE RIVERS ULTIMATELY JOIN THERIVER GANGA


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THE GANGA RIVER BASIN


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DRAINAGE MAP OF UTTARAKHAND


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THE KALI RIVER SYSTEM

RIVER KALI – CALLED SARDA IN THE PLAINS EMERGES AT AN ALTITUTDE OF 3600 m AT KALAPANI

FORMS A CONTINUOUS BOUNDARY BETWEEN INDIA AND NEPAL

GORI GANGA JOINS IT AT JAULJIBI

DHAULI GANGA JOINS AT TAWAGHAT

SARYU JOINS AT PANCHESWAR


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THE RAMGANGA RIVER SYSTEM

RIVER RAMGANGA ORIGINATES FROM ELEVATION 3200 m

FED BY NAMIK GLACIER JOINS RIVER SARYU AT ELEVATION 456 m NEAR

RAMESHWAR GHAT

HAS A LOW TO MODERATE GRADIENT OF ABOUT 2%

ENTERS THE PLAINS AT KALAGARH WHERE THERAMGANGA DAM HAS BEEN CONSTRUCTED


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THE YAMUNA RIVER SYSTEM

RIVER YAMUNA ORIGINATES AT YAMUNOTRI GLACIER AT AN

ELEVATION OF 6320 m IN THE SW SLOPES OFBANDARPOONCH PEAKS

JOINS RIVER TONS – WHICH BRINGS ALMOST 65% OFITS DISCHARGE – AT KALSI

ENTERS PLAINS AT DAK PATHAR

ENTERS HARYANA WHERE THE HATHINI KUNDBARRAGE HAS BEEN CONSTRUCTED


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GANGA RIVER SYSYEM

TWO MAIN RIVERS ALAKNANDA ANDBHAGIRATHI

MEET AT DEVPRAYAG AND THEREAFTER KNOWN AS GANGA

ALAKNANDA TRAVELS FOR ABOUT 190km FROMSOURCE TO DEVPRAYAG

BHAGIRATHI TRAVELS FOR ABOUT 205kmFROM SOURCE TO DEVPRAYAG


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RIVER ALAKNANDA

RISES AT CONFLUENCE AND FOOT OFSATOPANTH AND BHAGIRATH KHARAK

GLACIERS MEETS DHAULIGANGA AT VISHNUPRAYAG

NANDAKINI AT NANDPRAYAG

PINDER AT KARNPRAYAG MANDAKINI AT RUDRAPRAYAG


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RIVER BHAGIRATHI

ORIGINATES FROM GOMUKH IN GANGOTRIGLACIER

MEETS JADH GANGA AT BHAIRONGHATI

KAKORA GAD AND JALANDHARI GAD NEAR HARSIL

SIYAN GAD NEAR JHALA

ASSI GANGA AT GANGOORI BHILANGANA NEAR OLD TEHRI


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RIVER MANDAKINI

ORIGINATES FROM THE CHORABARI GLACIER NEAR KEDARNATH

KEDARNATH TEMPLE ELEVATION 3590m CHORABARI TAAL – A GLACIAL LAKE FORMED

AT ALTITUDE OF 3900m – ABOUT 250 m LONG,150 m WIDE AND 15 – 20 m DEEP – ONLY ABOUT

2 km FROM KEDARNATH


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DARINAGE SYSTEM

BHAGIRATHI

MANDAKINI

KEDARNATH

BHILANGANA

ALAKNANDA

PINDER

NANDAKINI

DHAULIGANGA

GANGA

JADHGANGA

KAKORI GAD

JALANDHARI GAD

SIYAN GAD

ASSI GANGA

DEVPRAYAG

VISHNUPRAYAG

NANDPRAYAG

KARNPRAYAG

RUDRAPRAYAG


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RAINFALL DURING JUNE 16 - 18

EXTREMELY HEAVY RAINFALL RECORDEDDURING JUNE 16, 17 AND 18

DEHRADUN–

JUNE 16/17–

220 mm/370 mm HARIDWAR – JUNE 16/17 – 107 mm/218 mm

UTTARKASHI – JUNE 16/17 – 122 mm/207 mm

MUKTESHWAR – JUNE 17/18 – 237 mm/183 mm

NAINITAL–

JUNE 17/18–

176 mm/ 170 mm


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RAINFALL DURING JUNE 13 – 19, 2013


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WAS THERE A CLOUDBURST?

CLOUBURST IS A HIGH INTENSITY RAIN(>100mm/h) OVER A LOCALISED AREA

CAUSED BY “CUMULONIMBUS CONVECTIONCONDITION”

RAPID LIFTING OF CLOUDS BY STEEP OROGRAPHY OF A REGION –THE CLOUDS CAN EXTEND UPTO 15 km ABOVE

GROUND FORMATION OF TOWERING DENSE CLOUDS

LIFTING CAUSES THERMODYNAMIC INSTABILITY RESULTING IN RAPID CONDENSATION


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NONE OF THE IMD SELF RECORDINGRAINGAUGES RECORDED CLOUDBURST TYPE

OF RAIN (>100mm/h) MAXIMUM ONE HOUR RAIN RECORDED RISHIKESH – 43.0 mm – JUNE 16

DEHRADUN – 40.0 mm – JUNE 17

LOHAGHAT – 34.0 mm – JUNE 18 MUKTESHWAR – 26.0 mm – JUNE 17

TEHRI – 22.0 mm – JUNE 16


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CLOUD TOP TEMPERATURE IS AN INDICATOR OF MAXIMUM CONVECTION – LOWER THETEMPERATURE, HIGHER THE RAINFALLINTENSITY

CLOUD TOP TEMPERATURES DERIVEDTHROUGH SATELLITE DATA OF JUNE 16 SHOW

A LOWEST OF 2000K VERY CLOSE TODEHRADUN OBSERVATORY

NO OTHER PLACE MIGHT HAVE RECORDED A HIGHER RAINFALL INTENSITY THANDEHRADUN


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ALL THE ABOVE INDICATE THAT THERE WAS

NO CLOUDBURST THE FLOODS WERE A RESULT OF PROLONGED

AND WIDE SPREAD HEAVY TO VERY HEAVY RAINFALL OVER THE ENTIRE REGION


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WHAT CAUSED THE RAINFALL?

RAPID ADVANCE OF MONSOON WHICHCOVERED THE ENTIRE NORTH INDIA BY JUNE

15 WESTERLY WINDS FROM ARABIAN SEA AT THE

SAME TIME

INTERACTION OF THESE APPEARS TO BE THE

CAUSE OF SUCH HEAVY RAINS

COLLISON OF MONSOON AND WESTERLY


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COLLISON OF MONSOON AND WESTERLYDISTURBANCE


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THE FLOOD SCENARIO


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THE FLOOD SITUATION

DURING THE PERIOD JUNE 15 – 18, MOST OFTHE RIVERS IN THE STATE WERE IN SPATE

MOST OF THE SITES ON RIVERS OTHER THANMANDAKINI AND KALI DID NOT CROSS THEIR PREVOUS HIGH FLOOD LEVEL

MANDAKINI AT RUDRAPRAYAG CROSSED THE

PREVIOUS RECORDED HFL BY 5.3 m


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THE FLOOD SITUATION

SITES DOWNSTREAM OF RUDRAPRAYAG ON ALAKNANDA/GANGA EITHER CROSSED THE

PREVIOUS HFL OR WERE VERY NEAR TO IT THE EFFECT STARTED GETTING MILDER

DOWNSTREAM OF RUDRAPRAYAG

THE RIVER KALI CROSSED ITS PREVIOUS HFL

AT JAULJIBI AND PANCHESHWAR


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THE FLOOD SITUATION

THE MAXIMUM DISCHARGE AT BHIMGODA HEADWORKS, HARIDWAR WAS 5.25 lac cusecs (15000cumecs) AT 19:00 hrs. ON JUNE 17

MAXIMUM INFLOW INTO TEHRI RESERVOIR AT

04:00 hrs ON JUNE 17 WAS 2.65 lac cusecs (7500cumecs) WHILE THE OUTFLOW WAS 0.13 lac cusecs(368 cumecs)

THUS 2.52 lac cusecs (7124 cumecs) WAS ABSORBED

BY TEHRI RESERVOIR, WHICH WOULD HAVEOTHERWISE RAISED THE FLOOD AT BHIMGODA TO

ABOUT 6.5 lac cusecs (18400 cumecs)


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THE FLOOD SITUATION

ALMOST ALL RIVERS IN NORTH INDIA EXPERIENCED HEAVY FLOODS

YAMUNA RECORDED A FLOOD OF 8.06 LACCUSECS (21,211.8 CUMECS) AT THE HATHINIKUND BARRAGE IN HARYANA ON THEMORNING OF JUNE 17, 2013.

THE DISCHARGE RECORDED AT JOSHIYARA BARRAGE ON THE RIVER BHAGIRATHI WAS74,590 CUSECS (1936.04 CUMECS).


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THE FLOOD SITUATION

THE PEAK DISCHARGE RECORDED AT THE

SARDA BARRAGE ON RIVER KALI BETWEENJUNE 17 AND 18 WAS 5,50,000 CUSECS (15,710CUMECS) AS AGAINST A 100 YEAR DESIGNFLOOD OF 5,25,000 CUSECS (15,000 CUMECS)


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THE KEDARNATH TRAGEDY


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KEDARNATH TEMPLE AND THE GLACIER


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THE KEDARNATH AREA


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THE KEDARNATH AREA


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THE KEDARNATH AREA


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WHAT COULD HAVE HAPPENED?

THE INTENSE RAINFALL CAUSED A MASSIVELANDSLIDE – ABOUT 75 m WIDE – IN THE

UPPER REACH TOWARDS NORTH EAST THE MELTING RATE OF GLACIERS WAS HIGH

BECAUSE OF THE HIGHER TEMPERATURES INMID JUNE

THERE HAD BEEN FRESH SNOWFALL AND THERAIN MELTED THIS SNOW ALSO CAUSING A LARGE RUNOFF


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INFLOW TO THE CHORABARI LAKE WAS MORETHAN THE OUTFLOW - LEFT EMBANKMENT

OVERTOPPED POSSIBILITY OF A SNOW AVALANCHE

TRIGGERED FROM THE WESTERN SIDE OF THELAKE – THE WAVES RUPTURED THE LEFT

EMBANKMENT ABOUT 105 m3 OF WATER WAS RELEASED IN

LESS THAN 10 minutes (GLOF)


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THE FLOW APPROACHED KEDARNATH IN TWOCHANNELS – DEBRIS LADEN FLOW FROM

NORTH EAST AND GLACIAL FLOW FROMNORTH WEST

THE FLOW ALSO ENTRAINED DEBRIS ENROUTE AND THUS A MUD AND WATER WALL

HIT KEDARNATH FLATTENING ALMOSTEVERYTHING


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PRE AND POST FLOOD IMAGES


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IT CAN BE CONCLUDED THAT THE EXTREMEFLOOD SITUATION WAS DUE TO A

COMBINATION OF FACTORS SUCH AS UNPRECEDENTED EARLY RAINFALL

LANDSLIDES LEADING TO DEBRIS LADEN FLOW

HIGH MELTING RATE OF GLACIERS BECAUSE OFHIGHER TEMPERATURES IN MID JUNE

FRESH SNOWFALL WHICH MELTS EASILY

BREACHING OF GLACIAL LAKE


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DAMAGE IN OTHER RIVER

VALLEYS


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THE KALI RIVER VALLEY

THE LOSS OF HUMAN LIFE WAS MUCH LESS TIMELY EVACUATION OF PEOPLE

LOSS TO LIVESTOCK AND PROPERTY CONSIDERABLE

REPORTED AFFECT ON 32 VILLAGES

7 BRIDGES 6 HYDROPOWER PLANTS INCLUDING ONE MAJOR


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OTHER EFFECTS

LARGE NUMBER OF LANDSLIDES ALL OVER

THE AREA DISRUPTION OF COMMUNICATION

ROADS BLOCKED IN A LARGE PART OF THESTATE


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LANDSLIDES

GEOLOGICAL SURVEY OF INDIA CARRIED OUTSURVEY IN FIVE DISTRICTS OF THE STATE

INTERIM SURVEY INDICATED 330 EROSIONINCIDENCES – INCLUDING NEW SLIDES AS

WELL AS OLD ONES REACTIVATED


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LANDSLIDES

DISTRICTWISE BREAK UP

BAGESHWAR 100 CHAMOLI 65

PITHORAGARH 63

RUDRAPRAYAG 54

UTTARKASHI 48


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SOME COMMENTS


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WHAT CAN BE DONE?

INSTALLATION OF EARLY FLASH FLOOD WARNING SYSTEMS

IDENTIFICATION OF LANDSLIDE PRONE AREAS AND REACHES VULNURABLE TO BANK FAILURE AND TAKE ADEQUATE PROTECTION MEASURES

MONITORING OF GLACIAL LAKE FORMATION

AND WHEREVER POSSIBLE REMOVE SUCHBLOCKAGES IN A SAFE MANNER


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WHAT CAN BE DONE?

SOIL CONSERVATION MEASURES LIKE AFFORESTATION OF HILL SLOPES

SELECTIVE REMOVAL OF DEBRIS FROM RIVER BED

CONSTRUCTION OF STORAGES WHEREVER FEASIBLE FOR FLOOD MODERATION

REGULATION OF COMMERCIAL ACTIVITY IN

FLOOD PLAIN OF THE RIVERS PROPER CARE IN MUCK DISPOSAL FROM ROAD

AND OTHER CONSTRUCTION ACTIVITIES


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THANK YOU

Uttarakhand Floods of June 2013 and the Kedarnath Tragedy

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