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| Zanskar river awaits NDMA team | | |  Early Times Report
Srinagar, Feb 1: The picturesque Zanskar Valley in Ladakh is under threat as one of the tributaries of the Zanskar river has been blocked by a massive 200 ft high landslide dam (equal to height of a 20 storey building). The landslide dam between Shaday Sumdo and MarShun in the Zanskar sub-division of Kargil district has created about 8 km long lake, whose size is increasing with each passing day. The landslide dam is made of mostly fine grained debris and blocks 97% of the flow of around 50 cusecs flow at this period as per records.
While the lake is frozen right now, the threat of its breach looms large as soon as the melting season starts and the matter of concern is that team from National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) is yet to reach the area to clear the debris. The landslide dam was reportedly created on Dec 31, 2014, when a whole side of mountain soil had landed on the Phuktal River. The landslide lake has been accumulating water for over a month now.
As of January 20, 2015, that dam was about 600 meters (2,000 feet) long, according to an analysis of satellite imagery collected by the Indian Space Research Organization's Carto sat 2 .
The artificial lake that formed behind the dam was nearly 8 kilometers long and covered about 55 hectares.
This is the second such major event in Himalayas this year, the Sunkoshi landslide dam in Nepal happened earlier this year in August 2014. The cause of the Zanskar valley event is not immediately known. The location of the landslide dam over fast flowing Tsarap or Phuktal River (a tributary of Lungnak River, which in turn is a major tributary of Zanskar River, which in turn is a tributary of Indus River) is near Marshun village, about 90 km from Padum, the sub-divisional headquarters of Zanskar. Sudden reduction of flow in the river at the downstream Nimo Bozgo Hydropower project of NHPC raised the suspicion of the landslide and this was ascertained only after a flight over the river path. The National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) was immediately alerted more than a month back , but the NDMA team is yet to reach the location as per the latest reports available. " If the team does not arrive in the area to clear the huge debri, it will a matter of concern during summers because the river may change its course and that would be disastrous " said a local resident Skarma Angdous while talking to Early Times.
Pertinently, tourists from all over the world visit Ladakh to trek through famous 150 km long Chadar trek to Zanskar as well as people living along the Chadar trek from Leh to Zanskar use this route during winter, due to blockage of Kargil Zanskar road.
The trek is famous for its breathtaking beauty. Chadar means carpet and the term is used to convey that the frozen river in winter resembles a carpet. Due to landslides the Chaddar trek could also not be undertaken this year. |
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