Abrupt Movement Of Tonnes Of Snow Could Be The Reason: CM Rawat On Uttarakhand Floods

While quoting scientists, Uttarakhand Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat, noted that the areas which were ravaged by the recent floods were not prone to such activities. The reason for the calamity, he added, could have been an "abrupt sliding down" of millions of tonnes of slow from a hill and not a glacial burst. 

Leaving for the flood-hit areas in Chamoli for an on-the-spot analysis of the relief and rescue operations, Rawat also urged people to not make the tragic episode an argument about "anti-development narrative".

He made the statement on the cause of the tragedy after holding a meeting with ISRO scientists and officials of the Army and the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP). The avalanche and subsequent floods have left at least 20 dead and over 150 missing.

Rawat said ISRO officials showed him pictures in which no glacier is visible at the place where the burst started and added that only a naked hill can be seen.

Something is visible on the top of it, he said, adding it might have been the trigger point from where the huge amount of snow slid down, causing the flash-flood in the Rishiganga and Dhauli Ganga rivers.

"According to the scientists, the area where the calamity struck is not prone to avalanches and apparently it was not caused by a glacier burst as initial reports suggested," he said.

"It was due to millions of metric tonnes of snow sliding down abruptly from a trigger point on the top of a naked hill," Rawat said.

The area had received snowfall in the days leading up to Sunday when the disaster struck.

Before he left for the flood-affected areas, he tweeted, "I am leaving for disaster site and will spend night in the region itself. Our relief & rescue operations is continuing in full swing & we are getting help from all quarters. I request everyone to not use this natural disaster as a reason to build anti-development narrative."

With PTI Inputs