Abstract
A cloudburst event occurred at around 04:00hrs (IST), on 18, August 2019, elicited landslides and flash floods, at Tikochi and Makudi village under the Arakot region of Uttarkashi District, Uttarakhand, India. This heavy rain has caused a massive flash flood in Arakot Nala and induced a major landslide downstream. This flash flood has caused the death of 19 people, 8 were missings, and 15 were injured, affecting 38 villages (70 km2 area) and stranding more than 400 people at various places. These flash floods have caused irreparable damage to the livestock, infrastructures, environment, and properties in the Uttarakhand and Himachal states and estimated economic losses of about Rs ∼175 crores. During the same period, heavy rainfall also made havoc across north India. Meanwhile, the rescue and evacuation process in the region has been carried out by the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP), National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), and State Disaster Response Force (SDRF). However, it will take a lot of time to bring the situation in the region to normalcy. The study has suggested that pragmatic check dam policy and logical shifting of the people should be exercised in a safe and stable area before the onset of the monsoon season in the hazard-prone areas. An early warning system (EWS), installation of Doppler radar, and lightning sensors, which would be helpful for policymakers, planners, practitioners, and technologists will aid to minimize the disaster risk and sustainable development within the region. Although an EWS alone can not stop a similar type of disaster but would be very helpful in minimizing the loss of human lives, livestock, biodiversity, infrastructure (civilian and strategic), and land holding in the hilly region.
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Acknowledgment
The authors thank the Director, Wadia Institute of Himalayan Geology, Dehradun for providing all the necessary facilities. The first author expresses sincere thanks to Science and Engineering Research Board (SERB), DST, New Delhi, India for the financial support (File No. EEQ/2016/000292). The authors also thank the Director (Operation) and Er. Rinish Aggarwal from Jal Vidyut Nigam Limited (UJVNL), Uttarakhand, for providing river discharge data. The author is grateful to local newspapers, the Administration of Uttarkashi and Dehradun Districts, and the Director, IMD, Dehradun circle, for providing necessary information and immense help. MM and KS acknowledge Uttarakhand State Disaster Management Authority (USDMA) for financial support for the research project (ref. letter no-/089/USDMA-672(2019), dated 19-02-2021. KS also acknowledges SERB-DST for providing him with the JC Bose National Fellowship.
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Chauhan, P., Sain, K., Mehta, M. et al. An Investigation of Cloudburst-triggered Landslides and Flash Floods in Arakot Region of Uttarkashi District, Uttarakhand. J Geol Soc India 98, 1685–1690 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12594-022-2238-0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12594-022-2238-0