Nearly 125 people were feared dead in Uttarakhand after a massive flash flood triggered by a glacial outburst devastated part of the state on Sunday, with raging floodwaters even washing away two hydropower stations.
The unusual winter deluge, caused when a big chunk of the Nanda Devi glacier broke off, left a huge trail of death and devastation along Rishiganga, Dhauli Ganga and Alaknanda rivers, all tributaries of the Ganga.
The state administration evacuated hundreds of people along the rivers following the incident.
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By evening, Indo-Tibetan Border Police personnel rescued 16 labourers from one site, but about 125 people are still missing. Five graziers, their livestock and two policemen were also swept away by the flash flood.
Uttarakhand Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat said that bodies of seven persons have been recovered.
The water level of the Dhauli Ganga river at Joshimath flowed was perilously high, breaching all records, Central Water Commission officials said.
“At 11 am, the water level recorded at Joshimath was 1,388 metres,” said Saumitra Haldar, chairman, Central Water Commission. During the 2013 Uttarakhand flash floods, the highest water level recorded at Joshimath was 1,385.54 metres.
This was a grim reminder of the Kedarnath deluge of 2013, which led to widespread devastation in the ecologically fragile Himalayan region.
The rising flood water washed away the 13.2 MW Rishiganga small hydro project, commissioned in 2020, and NTPC’s Tapovan-Vishnugad hydel project, located five km downstream and under construction.
There were nearly 176 people at the Tapovan site, of which 15-16 were in one tunnel and another 35-36 were in a second tunnel.
While one group of workers has been rescued, searching for people stuck in the 250-metres-long second tunnel has turned out to be a big challenge as the tunnel is full of debris. Till evening, the rescuers managed to go up to 150 feet inside but could not contact anyone.
“Nearly 125 people are still missing, but I can’t give an exact number because everything at the site office including the records have been washed away,” Rawat said.
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“Five local graziers, two policemen and nearly 180 livestock were also washed away. On the right side of Rishiganga, there are 17 villages that are now cut off,” he said.
More than 100 labourers at the barrage and 50-plus in the tunnel probably lost their life, ITBP sources said, quoting the site in-charge of Tapovan. Four bridges, including three at Reni village near Joshimath, the ground zero of the calamity, have been washed off.
While Union Home Minister Amit Shah reviewed the relief operations, the National Crisis Management Committee under the chairmanship of Cabinet Secretary Rajiv Gauba also reviewed the situation.
Multiple teams from the NDRF, ITBP, Army and IAF have been deployed for the search and rescue operations. Army and IAF helicopters have also been pressed into the
service.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi tweeted to say he had spoken to Rawat. “Am constantly monitoring the unfortunate situation... India stands with Uttarakhand and the nation prays for everyone’s safety there,” the PM tweeted.
Pauri, Tehri, Rudraprayag, Haridwar and Dehradun districts have been put on high alert.
Medical teams have been rushed to the affected site. A 30-bed hospital has been kept ready at Joshimath for dealing with this emergency. Hospitals in Srinagar, Rishikesh, Jollygrant and Dehradun are on standby.