Formation and Failure of Natural Dams in Uttarakhand Himalaya: An Observation from Lwarkha, Chamba Tahsil of Tehri Garhwal District, India
Keywords:
Natural dams, Northwestern Himalaya, Natural hazards, Consequences, Prevention measures
Abstract
Being within a geo-dynamically active Himalayan belt, the state of Uttarakhand is more susceptible to natural hazards due to inherent geology, high relief, narrow valley, thick overburden, heavy downpour and rapid glacial melting etc. Over the past decades, these natural hazards have resulted in loss of human lives, infrastructures and properties along with other natural resources. The current issue highlights the natural hazards such as rock slides/falls, debris flows, moraines and avalanches which had blocked the streams and impounded the water, left behind the natural dams in the same regions. An attempt has been made to enlist the same in tabular form together with their location, year of occurrences and impacts. Total of 24 incidents have been reported between the year 1857 and 2018 of which alone 50 percent is to be recorded in Chamoli district while 25 percent in Rudraprayag district. Recent incidence of Lwarkha, Chamba Tehsil of Tehri Garhwal district is briefly discussed in this paper. The main aim of this study is to learn lessons from the past incidences and aware the local people from the threats of future natural damming of streams and associated outburst floods.References
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Paul, S.K., Bartarya, S.K., Rautela, P., Mahajan, A.K., 2000. Catastrophic mass movement of 1998 monsoons at Malpa in Kali Valley, Kumaun Himalaya (India). Geomorphology 35, 169-180.
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Rautela, P., Pande, R.K., 2005. Traditional inputs in disaster management: the case of Amparav, North India. International Journal of Environmental Studies 62 (5), 505-515.
Schuster, R.L., 2006. Risk reduction measures for landslide dams. Italian Journal of Engineering Geology and Environment 1, 9-13.
Srivastava, P., Ray, Y., Phartiyal, B., Sundriyal, Y.P., 2016. Rivers in the Himalaya: Responses to Neotectonics and Past Climate. Proceedings of the Indian National Science Academy 82 (3), 763-772.
Sah, M.P., Bist, K.S., 1998. Catastrophic mass movement of August 1998 in Okhimath area, Garchival Himalaya. Proc. Int. Workshop-cum-training programme on Landslide Hazard, Risk Assessment and Damage Control for Sustainable Development, New Delhi, 259-270.
Thakur, V.C., 1996. Landslide Hazard Management and Control in India. International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development Kathmandu, Nepal, 1-43.
Villanueva, V.R., Allen S., Arora, M., Goel, N.K., Stoffel, M., 2017. Recent catastrophic landslide lake outburst floods in the Himalayan mountain range. Progress in Physical Geography 41 (1), 3-28.
Valdiya, K.S., 2014. Damming rivers in the tectonically resurgent Uttarakhand Himalaya. Current Science 106 (12), 1658-1668.
Bisht, M.P.S., Mehta, M., Nautiyal, S.K., 2002. A report on geomorphic hazards around Badrinath Area (Uttaranchal) and innovative control measures proposed, NDBR project. Department of Geology, HNB Garhwal University, Uttarakhand.
Bisht, M.P.S., Mehta, M., Nautiyal, S.K., 2011. Impact of depleting glaciers on the Himalayan biosphere reserve- a case study of Nanda Devi Biosphere Reserve, Uttarakhand Himalaya. In: Mountain Resource Management: Application of Remote Sensing and GIS (ed. by M. P. S. Bisht and D. Pal), 17-31. Transmedia Publication, Srinagar, Uttarakhand.
Census of India, 2011. Population profiles (India, States and Union Territories), Office of the Registrar General, India, New Delhi.
Costa, J.E., Schuster, R.L., 1987. The Formation and Failure of Natural dams. US Geological Survey, Vancouver, Washington (Open-File Report 87-392), 39.
Costa, J.E., Schuster R.L., 1988. The formation and failure of natural dams. Geological Society of America Bulletin 100, 1054-1068.
Chen, K.T., Lin, C.H., Chen X.Q., Hu, G.S., Guo, X.J., Shieh, C.L., 2018. An Assessment Method for Debris Flow Dam Formation in Taiwan. Earth Sciences Research Journal 22 (1), 37-43.
Chen, K.T., Chen, Q.X., Hu, G.S., Kuo, Y.S., Huang, Y.R., Shieh, C.L., 2019. Dimensionless Assessment Method of Landslide Dam Formation Caused by Tributary Debris Flow Events. Geofluids 2019, 1-14.
Evans, S.G., 2006. The formation and failure of landslide dams: An approach to risk assessment. Italian Journal of Engineering Geology and Environment, Special Issue 1, 15-19.
Fan, X., Xu Q., ven Westen, C.J., Huang, R., Tang, R., 2017. Characteristics and classification of landslide dams associated with the 2008 Wenchuan earthquake. Geo-environmental Disasters 4 (12), 1-15.
Grabs, W.E., Hanisch, J., 1993. Objectives and Prevention Methods for Glacier Lake Outburst Floods (GLOFs), Snow and Glacier Hydrology (Proceedings of the Kathmandu Symposium, November 1992). IAHS, 218, 341-352.
Gulia, K.S., 2007. Discovering Himalaya: Tourism of Himalayan Region. ISHA Books, Delhi. Gansser, A., 1964. Geology of the Himalayas. Interscience, 289.
Heim, A., Gansser, A., 1939. Central Himalaya: geological observations of the Swiss expedition 1936. Mem. Soc. Helv. Sc. Nat., 73, 246.
India Standard (IS): 1893 Part 1, 2002. Criteria for earthquake resistant design of structures, Bureau of Indian Standards, New Delhi.
Liu, M., Chen, N., Zhang, Y., Deng M., 2020. Glacial Lake Inventory and Lake Outburst Flood/Debris Flow Hazard Assessment after the Gorkha Earthquake in the Bhote Koshi Basin, Water 2020, 12, 464, 1-21.
Khanduri, S., 2020. Cloudbursts over Indian Sub-continent of Uttarakhand Himalaya: A Traditional Habitation Input from Bansoli, District-Chamoli, India. International Journal of Earth Science Knowledge and Applications 2 (2), 48-63.
Khanduri, S., Sajwan, K.S., Rawat, A., Dhyani, C., Kapoor, S., 2018. Disaster in Rudraprayag District of Uttarakhand Himalaya: A Special Emphasis on Geomorphic Changes and Slope Instability. Journal of Geography & Natural Disasters 8 (1), 1-9.
Khanduri, S., 2018. Landslides over two places of Uttarakhand; an observation (2018) International Journal of Engineering Applied Sciences and Technology 3 (2), 52-56.
Khanal, N.R., Hu, J.M., Mool, P., 2015. Glacial Lake Outburst Flood Risk in the Poiqu/ Bhote Koshi/Sun Koshi River Basin in the Central Himalayas. Mountain Research and Development (MRD) 35 (4), 351-364.
Nibigira, L., Havenith, H.B., Archambeau, P., Dewals, B., 2018. Formation, breaching and flood consequences of a landslide dam near Bujumbura, Burundi. Natural Hazards and Earth System Sciences 18, 1867-1890.
NIDM, 2015. A Study on Flash Floods and Landslides Disaster on 3rd August 2012 along Bhagirathi Valley in Uttarkashi District, Uttarakhand. National Institute of Disaster Management (NIDM), Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India, New Delhi.
NDMA, 2009. National Disaster Management Guidelines - Management of Landslides and Snow Avalanches, 2009. Publication of National Disaster Management Authority, Government of India New Delhi.
Prakesh, S., 2015. Some socio-economically landslides in Uttarakhand Himalaya: Events, Consequences and lessons learnt. Mountain Hazards and Disaster Risk Reduction (edited by Hari Krishna Nibanupudi, Rajib Shaw), Springer, 1-271.
Prakesh, S., 2014. Geo-environmental Characteristics, Natural Resources and Disasters in Uttarakhand State. Retrospect and Prospects of Natural Resource and Disaster Management in Uttarakhand Himalaya, 51-99.
Pandey, V.K., Mishra A., 2015. Causes and Disaster Risk Reduction Measures for Hydrometerological Disaster in Uttarakhand, India: An Overview. International Journal of Current Research in Science and Technology 1 (3), 61-80.
Pandey, V.K., Mishra, A., 2018. Trends of Hydro-Meteorological Disaster in Uttarakhand, India. International Journal of Current Research in Science and Technology 4 (12), 1-7.
Paul, S.K., Bartarya, S.K., Rautela, P., Mahajan, A.K., 2000. Catastrophic mass movement of 1998 monsoons at Malpa in Kali Valley, Kumaun Himalaya (India). Geomorphology 35, 169-180.
Post, A., Mayo, L.R., 1971. Glacier dammed lakes and outburst floods in Alaska. US Geological Survey Hydrologic Investigation Atlas HA-455, 1-10.
Rautela, P., Joshi, G.C., Bhaisora, B., Khanduri, S., Gildiyal, S., Dhyani, C., Rawat, A., 2019. Earthquake Risk Assessment around Naintal in Uttarakhand Himalaya, India. Journal of Geography and Natural Disasters 9 (1), 1-6.
Rautela, P., 2018. Lessons learnt from June 16/17, 2013 disaster of Uttarakhand, India. Science and Technology in Disaster Risk in Asia, Potentials and Challenges (Ed. by Rajeb Shaw, Koichi Shiwaku and Takako Izumi), Elsevier, Japan, 273-299.
Rautela, P., Pande, R.K., 2005. Traditional inputs in disaster management: the case of Amparav, North India. International Journal of Environmental Studies 62 (5), 505-515.
Schuster, R.L., 2006. Risk reduction measures for landslide dams. Italian Journal of Engineering Geology and Environment 1, 9-13.
Srivastava, P., Ray, Y., Phartiyal, B., Sundriyal, Y.P., 2016. Rivers in the Himalaya: Responses to Neotectonics and Past Climate. Proceedings of the Indian National Science Academy 82 (3), 763-772.
Sah, M.P., Bist, K.S., 1998. Catastrophic mass movement of August 1998 in Okhimath area, Garchival Himalaya. Proc. Int. Workshop-cum-training programme on Landslide Hazard, Risk Assessment and Damage Control for Sustainable Development, New Delhi, 259-270.
Thakur, V.C., 1996. Landslide Hazard Management and Control in India. International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development Kathmandu, Nepal, 1-43.
Villanueva, V.R., Allen S., Arora, M., Goel, N.K., Stoffel, M., 2017. Recent catastrophic landslide lake outburst floods in the Himalayan mountain range. Progress in Physical Geography 41 (1), 3-28.
Valdiya, K.S., 2014. Damming rivers in the tectonically resurgent Uttarakhand Himalaya. Current Science 106 (12), 1658-1668.
Published
2020-12-15
Section
Articles
Copyright (c) 2021 Sushil Khanduri
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