Uttarakhand Glacier Burst: Result of Climate Change says Experts
Over 150 people still missing and seven people reported dead after a glacier burst at Joshimath in Uttarakhand's Chamoli district which triggered massive flooding of the Alaknanda and Dhauliganga rivers on Sunday. Due to the glacier dam of the Rishi Ganga Tapovan Hydro Power Project was broken. Scientists claims that the huge damage is the result of climate change which led to a massive flood after a part of the Nanda Devi glacier broke off in Joshimath in Chamoli district of Uttarakhand. Mohd. Farooq Azam, Assistant Professor at IIT Indore speaking to IANS said that satellite and Google Earth images do not show a glacial lake near the region, but there is a possibility that there may be a water pocket, or lake inside the glacier, in the region that may have erupted leading to the disaster. Farooq said “There is no doubt that global warming has resulted in the warming of the region. Climate change-driven erratic weather patterns like increased snowfall and rainfall, and warmer winters have led to the melting point of a lot of snow falling. The thermal profile of ice is increasing…. where earlier the temperature of ice ranged from minus six to minus 20 degree Celsius, it is now minus two, making it more susceptible to melting.” “It is an unfortunate incident. Our thoughts are with the missing construction workers and affected people of Uttarakhand. Read the full article