India
oi-Deepika S
New Delhi, Feb 07: The water level of the Dhauli Ganga river at Joshimath flowed at a perilously high level, breaching all records, Central Water Commission officials said after a part of Nanda Devi glacier broke off in Uttarakhand’s Chamoli district leading to massive floods.
The glacial burst triggered an avalanche and a deluge in the Alaknanda river system that washed away hydroelectric stations and trapped more than 100 labourers who are feared dead. The intensity of the river’s flow in a short span of time was such that it engulfed whatever came in its way.
This was a grim reminder of the Kedarnath deluge of 2013 which led to widespread devastation in the ecologically fragile Himalayan region.
“At 11 am, the water level recorded at Joshimath was 1,388 metres,” Saumitra Haldar, Chairman, Central Water Commission told PTI.
During the 2013 Uttarakhand flash floods, the highest…