Uttarakhand: Glacier burst near Joshimath on India-China border, govt issues alert

Dehradun, Apr 23: A glacier has burst near Uttarakhand's Joshimath on India-China border, Colonel Manish Kapil, Commander, Border Road Task Force said.

Chief Minister Tirath Singh Rawat said he has alerted the local administration and was in constant touch with the district administration and BRO.

नीती घाटी के सुमना में ग्लेशियर टूटने की सूचना मिली है। इस संबंध में मैंने एलर्ट जारी कर दिया है। मैं निरंतर जिला प्रशासन और बीआरओ के सम्पर्क में हूँ।

— Tirath Singh Rawat (@TIRATHSRAWAT) April 23, 2021

Earloer on Feb 07, 2021, disaster struck Uttarakhand's Chamoli district in the form of an avalanche and deluge, after a portion of the Nanda Devi glacier broke off.

In 2013, an avalanche caused the glacial moraine holding back Chorabari Lake in Uttarakhand, releasing a sudden torrent of water, boulders, and debris that scoured the river valley below, resulting in the deaths of more than 5,000 people.

What is glacial burst?

These rare instances occur when water dammed by a glacier or moraine is released. The glacier containing the body of water melts and overflows the glacier.

Meanwhile, an avalanche occurred in an area close to the Niti valley in Uttarakhand''s Chamoli district on Friday.
Information was received about a part of a glacier collapsing beyond the Sumna Chawki near Malari in the Niti valley, Border Roads Organisation (BRO) officials, who were on their way to the spot, said.

No contact has so far been established with the area due to heavy snowfall, they added.

A BRO official confirmed the sliding down of a glacier in the area, where labourers are engaged in road-construction work.

A BRO team was rushed to the spot but there is no clue yet on the damages caused, the official said.