The day a village in Uttarkashi disappeared , Pg7

Key Highlights:

• On August 5, a landslide caused by heavy rains led to severe flooding in Dharali, Uttarkashi, a village near the Gangotri temple.
• Approximately 69 people are missing, including 9 Army personnel and 25 Nepali workers; only one body has been recovered.
• Around 150 hotels, homestays, and apple orchards were destroyed, displacing around 1,400 people who were airlifted from the site.
• The Uttarakhand government has formed a three-member team to rehabilitate the residents of Dharali.

Detailed Insights:

• Dharali served as a rest stop for pilgrims traveling to Gangotri, one of the Char Dham pilgrimage sites, before the disaster.
• The Kheer Gad stream overflowed due to the deluge, engulfing multi-story buildings and covering the village in sludge as high as 30-40 meters.
• Rescue operations face challenges due to continuous water flow beneath the debris, weather changes, and the fragile nature of the terrain, hindering the use of heavy machinery.
• Environmentalists attribute the disaster to extremely heavy rains and unregulated construction of hotels and homestays in the upper Ganga catchment area.
• The floodwaters also damaged an Army camp in Harshil and formed an artificial lake, disrupting connectivity and rescue efforts in the region.
• Villagers are experiencing trauma, anxiety, and sleeplessness, with many requiring medical assistance and pregnant women being airlifted to Uttarkashi.
• The oldest monument, the Kalp Kedar temple, dedicated to Lord Shiva, was also flattened by the debris flow, impacting the cultural heritage of the region.

Key Concepts Involved:

• Landslide: The movement of a mass of rock, debris, or earth down a slope due to gravity.
• Rehabilitation: The process of restoring someone or something to a condition of health or normal life through training and therapy.
• Alluvial Fan: A fan-shaped deposit of sediment built by a stream where it emerges from a confined channel onto a plain.