There has been an alarmist feeling in the upper Himalayan state of Uttarakhand following the formation of an artificial lake over the Dhauli Ganga River in the Tamak village of the Niti Valley of Chamoli district. The lake that has been created due to a massive landslide that stopped the natural flow of the river has also caused concerns that there might be a possible flash flood in case the blockage collapses abruptly.
Preliminary reports of geologists and district officials indicate that the lake is 300 meters in length, 60 meters in breadth and is about 3 meters in depth at its highest point. Science thinks that the deposition was a result of a recent landslide or a mass of debris that formed a natural dam over the river. Such a blockage has greatly decreased the flow of the river, and the water is left stagnant behind it, which might prove to be hazardous in case of a collapse of the natural dam.
An alert has been given by the administration of the Chamoli district government, and the teams of the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), the local police, and the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) are put on alert to check the situation. The stability of the blockage and the water levels are being measured in real-time by the use of drones and satellite imagery. Earth-moving machines have also been deployed to the location to clear the debris and expand the river channel to avoid any further pressure accumulation.
At present, downstream villages are not in a direct threat, although the process requires constant attention. A natural dam might break out, resulting in the unexpected rush of water below, as one district official put it.
Geologists of Hemvati Nandan Bahuguna Garhwal University have warned that the soil in the Niti Valley is very weak, and it is made of loose moraine and sediment material that may collapse at any moment. They have called on the administration to be keen, particularly because the region is also subject to landslides and glacial activities.
The incident has been compared to the Chamoli disaster in 2021, where a glacial burst caused huge flooding and the destruction of hydropower projects. Researchers are sounding an alarm that climate change and temperature rise are raising the rates of such events in the delicate Himalayan ecosystem.
To reduce risks, there have been precautionary measures such as advising the residents to avoid the riverbanks, and the rescue team is on standby in case evacuation is needed. The environment is still tense, and the administration has 24/7 surveillance to prevent any tragedy that may occur.
