Tuesday, 01 June 2021 | PNS | Dehradun
Though it is common for glaciers to have cracks and debris, a survey has ascertained that there are no cracks in the glaciers in the upper watershed area of Dhauliganga river in Chamoli district. Following the Chamoli district magistrate’s report that locals were apprehensive as cracks had been seen in the said area, Uttarakhand State Disaster Management Authority (USDMA) executive director Piyoosh Rautela and Uttarakhand Space Application Research Centre (USAC) director MPS Bisht undertook an aerial survey of the area. The survey report states that though no cracks were seen in the glaciers in the said area, signs of a landslide were seen in one spot though it is not possible to state when the landslide occurred. In the higher Himalaya, landslides and avalanches due to natural causes like daily temperature fluctuations are common. The landslide, of which the scientists saw the signs does not seem to pose any threat to the public. Considering the observations made during the survey, Rautela and Bisht have stated that there doesn’t seem to be the possibility of landslide or avalanche in the said area in the future. It is pertinent to mention here that flash flood in the Dhauliganga on February 7 which caused considerable casualties and damage is believed to have been caused by cracks which lead to breaking away of a glacier in the area. However, according to officials no scientist or scientific institution has stated that cracks visible in the glaciers will once again cause a flood.
