Uttarakhand Glacier Burst: 150 people feared dead, govt deploys forces

The government has deployed the Air Force and Indian Army to help in the rescue operations in Uttarakhand following a glacier burst in Chamoli district. As many as 150 people are feared dead after an avalanche and flood swept through a Chamoli village.

The Army said that the Indian Army has deployed choppers and troops for supporting the Uttarakhand state government and NDRF to tackle the flood. “Military station near Rishikesh actively involved in coordination of rescue and relief operations with the local administration,” it said. “Army headquarters are monitoring the situation.” Army officials said about 600 personnel of the Indian Army are moving towards the flood-affected areas.

The Indian Air Force officials said three choppers, including two Mi-17 and one ALH Dhruv chopper of the Air Force have been stationed in Dehradun and nearby areas for helping in rescue operations in flood-affected areas. They said more aircraft will be deployed as per the requirement on the ground.

A witness, according to Reuters, said a wall of dust, rock and water as an avalanche roared down the Dhauli Ganga river valley located more than 500 km north of New Delhi. “It came very fast, there was no time to alert anyone,” said Sanjay Singh Rana, who lives on the upper reaches of the river in Raini village in Uttarakhand. “I felt that even we would be swept away.”

Uttarakhand’s Police Chief Ashok Kumar told the media that more than 50 people working at the dam, the Rishiganga Hydroelectric Project, were feared dead though some others had been rescued. He said authorities had evacuated other dams to contain the water rushing in from the flooded Alakananda river.

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The Union Ministry of Home Affairs is monitoring the situation after the water level in the Dhauliganga river increased suddenly following an avalanche near a power project at Raini village in the Tapovan area of Chamoli district on Sunday.

Call to halt big hydroelectric projects in Uttarakhand

Meanwhile, Uma Bharti, a former water resources minister and a senior leader of BJP, has criticized the construction of a power project in the area. “When I was a minister, I had requested that Himalaya is a very sensitive place, so power projects should not be built on Ganga and its main tributaries,” she tweeted.

Ranjan Panda, a volunteer for the Combat Climate Change Network that works on water, environment and climate change issues, said the disaster calls for a serious scrutiny of the hydropower dams building spree in the eco-sensitive region. He said the government should no longer ignore warnings from experts and stop building hydropower projects and extensive highway networks in theis fragile ecosystem.