Pics: U'khand topography has changed forever

Dehradun, July 2: Post-disaster images taken from NASA and Indian satellites have crushed popular perception that bursting of two glaciers behind the Kedarnath temple caused the massive fury in the Himalayan state of Uttarakhand last month, which has not only killed several thousands but also might have pushed back the state to a position from where it would not be easy to return.

According to a report published in Mail Today, satellite images have showed that the two glaciers remained intact, suggesting that they could play little role behind the calamity.

The image also shows that Vasuki Taal, a lake at the top of the hills, was flowing intact even though it was believed to have burst, causing the deluge (another theory for the floods). The images have rather shown drastic changes in the region's topography with several settlements being reduced to a rubble and a new stream forming behind the Kedarnath shrine, the Mail Today report said. Earlier, there were only two streams. The new stream has even become broader in the wake of the disaster, the report added.

Rambara devastated

Satellite images show the settlement of Rambara, the resting point on Gaurikund-Kedarnath trek, before (left) and after (right).

Kedarnath: No sign of life

A pre-disaster satellite image shows settlements around Kedarnath temple (left) while a post-disaster image (right) shows they have completely disappeared.

Mandakini Valley

Satellite images show the Mandakini Valley before (left) and after flash floods and landslides struck the area (right).

Uttarakhand relief package

A man dressed up like the Hindu god Shiva flags off trucks carrying a Uttarakhand relief package for flood victims.

Rescue operations

Army personnel rescue a woman in a flood-hit area in Uttarakhand.

Kedarnath Valley

The comparative images of the area in and around the Kedarnath shrine.

(Source: Uttarkhand Space Application Centre, Dehradun)

Rambara

The devastated remains at Rambara.

(Source: Uttarkhand Space Application Centre, Dehradun)

Image of Rambara to Kedarnath area

Reports say the steep slope from Kedarnath to Ramabara and Gaurikund saw the debris running down fast to bury whatever came on its way.

(Source: Uttarakhand Space Application Centre, Dehradun)

Kedarnath Valley

Kedarnath Valley- before and after the disaster.

(Source: Uttarakhand Space Application Centre, Dehradun)

The Uttarakhand Space Application Centre (USAC) has compared the old National Remote Sensing Centre (NRSC) images with the new ones to see the extent of damage caused in the state on June 16 and 17 and afterwards.

A USAC report has said that 80 per cent of the 14-km road between Gaurikund and Kedarnath has been devastated. It said the rain had saturated the area and once it exceeded the limits, the calamity was just a call away.

The images have shown that Rambara, located 7 km from Gaurikund which served as a refreshment point for the pilgrims, has completely disappeared from the map. The USAC report said that the high slope from Kedarnath to Rambara and Gaurikund saw the debris running down fast and burying whatever came on its way.

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