Indian and UK Researchers join forces to study the Chamoli Disaster Amid climate change

Scientists from India and the UK  have  collaborated to study the impact of the deadly ice-rock avalanche that hit Chamoli district in Uttarakhand in 2021. The Chamoli Disaster led to a swift, debris-filled flood that claimed 200 lives and caused significant destruction.

The Rs 110 million project, aided by the Natural Environment Research Council from UK Research and Innovation, will study a 150 km stretch of the Ganga River in the Rishi Ganga-Dhauliganga catchment area. Researchers will use data collected after the disaster with drones and satellite images to monitor changes in the landscape and river basin, helping to predict the long-term effects of such debris flows.

According to Dr Kalachand Sain, Director-Wadia Institute of Himalayan Geology, Dehradun, “Many studies have been done before on this, but there is still to learn more about the long-term effect of such calamities. For example, the large sediment flow has caused erosion near the slopes by Reni village, which could worsen land subsidence in the area. Many villages and communities live here, so understanding these changes is essential to guide development and improve disaster preparedness.”

A project named SUPERSLUG, focused on the large mass of debris generated by such natural disasters downstream, will be led by the University of Plymouth in the UK. It will involve experts from the universities of Exeter, Hull, Leeds, Newcastle, and Staffordshire, Canada’s University of Calgary, as well as the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Roorkee and the Wadia Institute of Himalayan Geology in Dehradun. The first team is scheduled to visit Chamoli in November this year.

Sediment impact in a changing Himalayan landscape

The project will focus on the large amounts of sediment moved during deadly landslides, which can affect the river basin for years after the immediate danger has gone.Project lead Matt Westoby, Associate Professor of Physical Geography at the University of Plymouth, emphasised the urgent need to understand how these changes impact river catchments and the communities that rely on them for water, power, and their livelihoods.

The research has significant implications for the seismically fragile Himalayan region, which is expected to experience more disasters due to climate change and increased deforestation. “High mountain areas like the Himalayas are among the most active and dangerous on Earth. A changing global climate will worsen these hazards, with more intense monsoons leading to increased landslide activity and melting glaciers causing landscape instability and triggering widespread floods,” Dr. Westoby added.

Preventing future disasters

The team will use the data to create and test models that predict when and where the long-term impacts of recent and future extreme events might occur. They will also use seismic sensors and automatic water-level monitors to study debris flow.

Tom Coulthard, Professor of Physical Geography at the University of Hull, further stated, “Typically, it’s the rocks, large boulders, and sediment—rather than floodwater—that cause the most damage. This sediment can move downstream like a wave, but its travel time is uncertain, possibly taking years or even centuries. Understanding its duration is vital for managing these events and predicting their impacts.”

Researchers worldwide studied the Chamoli disaster, with some visiting the site to understand its causes. According to WIHG Director Dr. Sain, this knowledge can inform similar studies in other disaster-prone river basins.

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