A comprehensive and quantitative assessment of Raunthi Gad flash flood, Rishi Ganga catchment, central Himalaya, Uttarakhand, India

Harish Chandra Nainwal (), R. Shankar, Aditya Mishra, Sumit Mishra, Ankit Pandey, Sunil Singh Shah, Gambhir Singh Chauhan and Deepak Kumar
Additional contact information
Harish Chandra Nainwal: H.N.B. Garhwal University
R. Shankar: The Institute of Mathematical Sciences
Aditya Mishra: H.N.B. Garhwal University
Sumit Mishra: H.N.B. Garhwal University
Ankit Pandey: H.N.B. Garhwal University
Sunil Singh Shah: H.N.B. Garhwal University
Gambhir Singh Chauhan: H.N.B. Garhwal University
Deepak Kumar: DBS (PG) College

Natural Hazards: Journal of the International Society for the Prevention and Mitigation of Natural Hazards, 2022, vol. 114, issue 1, No 7, 157-181

Abstract: Abstract On 7th February 2021, a catastrophic flash flood occurred in Raunthi Gad, Rishi Ganga catchment of Dhualiganga Basin. It caused the death of around 200 people and devastated the hydropower projects and other associated infrastructure in the downstream areas of the basin. While the extent of damage and devastation in the downstream region around Rini and Tapovan has been extensively reported, the reconstruction of the event has still not been definitively established. Based on an analysis of the data reported in previous papers and our field and remote-sensing data, we present a detailed reconstruction of the events that occurred in Raunthi Gad that morning. Our analysis supports previous reports that the basic cause was that a portion of the hanging glacier located at Raunthi peak (5600 m asl) along with a large amount of rock fell and hit the Raunthi valley at about 1.5 km downstream of the current snout of Raunthi glacier at an elevation of around 3800 m asl. We present evidence, supported by previous data of transient ponding in the region between the impact zone and the confluence of Raunthi Gad and Rishi Ganga. We estimate the flood volume at Rini to be around 10 MCM and the volume of water available in the valley in the form of ice and snow to be around 6 MCM. We argue that this deficit can be accounted for by the debris volume. The material gained around 8 × 1014 J of energy during the initial slide whereas around 1.5 × 1014 J is required to melt the ice and snow.

Keywords: Flash flood; Disaster; Hanging glacier; Extreme events; Central Himalaya (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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DOI: 10.1007/s11069-022-05385-w

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