Uttarakhand June 2022: Shambhu River Landslide Lake in Alaknanda basin

July 14, 2022July 17, 2022 SANDRPLeave a comment

(Feature Image:- बागेश्वर के कुंवारी में इस तरह हो रहे भूस्खलन के कारण पहाड़ी से शंभू नदी में गिर रहा मलबा। Image: Amar Ujala)

In last week of June 2022, a landslide lake was formed on Shambhu river in Kapkot tehsil of Bageshwar district. Shambhu originates from Shambhu glacier near Borbalda village in the district. It joins the Pindar river another glacier fed river few kilometres upstream Jhaliya village. In turn, passing through Tharali, Narayanbagad the Pindar river merges into Alaknanda river at Karanprayag in Chamoli district.

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Floods

Rivers Breaching and flowing close to HFLs in May-June 2022

July 14, 2022October 26, 2022 SANDRP1 Comment

In pre-monsoon month of May 2022 and first month of south west monsoon season June 2022, there have been Highest Flood Level (HFL) breach incidents at 5 sites on rivers in North East and North India. The rivers have also touched or missed crossing the HFLs at 6 sites in the region in these two months. This include Kopili river at Kampur Level Forecast (LF) site in Nagaon district of Assam breaching HFL [i] in both May and June 2022 months and Barak river at Fulertal LF site in Cachar district, Assam narrowly missing HFL breach in May 2022 and breaching the extreme flood level in June 2022.

SANDRP has been tracking the HFL breach incidents during pre-monsoon and monsoon months for past four years. The analysis of such HFL breaches in 2018 [ii], 2019 [iii] and 2020 [iv], May-Sept 2021 [v], Oct.-Nov 2021 [vi] can be seen on our website.

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Hydro Disaster

Himachal Pradesh July 2022: Cloudburst at Malana II HEP in Parbati Valley

July 14, 2022July 14, 2022 SANDRPLeave a comment

(Feature Image:- कुल्लू की मणिकर्ण घाटी के चोज गांव में बादल फटा है. मलाणा डेम साइट के पास से भागता युवक. Source: News 18 Himachal Pradesh)

Hydropower projects are force multipliers when cloud burst happens close to them. In 2021 at least 11 HEPs (4 each in Uttarakhand & Himachal, 2 in J&K and 1 in Ladakh) projects had faced cloud burst induced deluge and damages in lesser or greater degree.

In the latest such incident, the 100 MW Malana II Hydro Electric Project (HEP) in Parbati Valley in Himachal Pradesh has been affected by flash floods following cloud burst in Malana village area in early hours of July 6, 2022. The operational project is located on Malana stream, a tributary of Parbati river in Kullu district. This incident seemingly coincided with another devastating cloud burst near Choj village in Parvati valley located about 15 km south west from Malana.

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Monsoon · Rainfall

June 2022: High Rainfall district days in India’s SW Monsoon

July 14, 2022 SANDRPLeave a comment

An analysis of the daily district wise rainfall data from India Meteorological Department (IMD) for the month of June 2022, the first month of India’s South West Monsoon 2022 shows that there were 462 instances (442 in June 2021) when district rainfall of a day was above 50 mm. This is high considering that the rainfall of India in June 2022 was 152.3 mm [i], or daily average rainfall is about 5 mm. The high rainfall instances in June 2022 included 339 (371 in June 2021) instances when rainfall was 50-100 mm, 68 instances (59 in June 2021) when it was 100-150 mm, 26 (5 times in June 2021) times it was 150-200 mm and 29 (7 times in June 2021) times above 200 mm.

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