Flutwarnung an Spiti und Sutlej River

[AndreasW]

An alle Spiti Reisende, die die nächsten Tage planen von Shimla über Kinnaur durch das Sutletj Tal zu reisen!!!

Ein Erdrutsch staut zur Zeit den Parchu (Parechu) River auf tibetischer Seite kurz vor dem Zusammenfluß mit dem Spiti River bei Sumdo.
Hoffentlich tickt dort keine neue Zeitbombe. Die Spuren der letzten Blitzflut am Sutlej vom 1.August 2000 sind gerade am "verheilen".

Ich bleibe dran, um weitere Infos zu bekommen, da ich in der letzten Augustwoche selbst nach Kinnaur reisen möchte.

Gruß AndreasW


Quelle: http://www.tribuneindia.com

Lake in Tibet may cause floods in HP

Tribune News Service

Shimla, August 1
The threat of flash floods loomed large over the people living along the Sutlej river with the formation of a huge lake in Tibet, upstream Lapcha in the Parchu nullah, a tributary of the Spiti rivers.

The state government was informed by the Union Ministry of Home about the formation of a 3500 m-long, 800 m-wide and 15 m-deep lake close to the Indo-Tibet border due to blockage of the Parchu nullah by a landslide. A flood alert was sounded in Kinnaur, Shimla, Kulu and Mandi districts last evening after water started overflowing from the lake, bringing along a lot of silt.

The abrupt rise in the level of silt forced the Sutlej Jal Vidyut Nigam to shut down the 1500 MW Nathpa Jhakri project. The silt level shot up to 7,500 ppm (part per million) as against the permissible level of 5,000 ppm. The nigam has also set up an observation post at Khab to keep a close watch on the discharge of the Spiti river.

The water takes about three hours to reach Nathpa, where a diversion dam is located, from Khab and in case of flash floods in the river the authorities would have ample time to take the necessary protective measures.

A spokesperson for the Nigam said generation would be resumed as soon the silt content in the river declined.

Mr Maneesh Garg, Deputy Commissioner of Kinnaur, said the threat of flash flood would be there as long as the river remains blocked. It would all depend on whether the water impounded by the landslip leaked through slowly or the blockage gave way suddenly due to pressure. The administration was prepared for any eventuality. It was in close touch with the ITBP (Indo-Tibetan Border Police) at Lapcha and Samdoh from where the river entered the Spiti valley.

Keeping in view the experience of the devastating flash floods of 2000, the Border Roads Organisation had been asked to spread its heavy machinery in the area so that in case the road network was damaged, repair work could be carried out expeditiously.

Meanwhile, the state received widespread rain over the past 24 hours. Shimla, Sirmaur, Solan, parts of Mandi, Kulu and Bilaspur were having intermittent showers since morning.

Bereitsts gestern war dieser Artikel zu lesen.

Flood alert in HP districts

Rakesh Lohumi
Tribune News Service

Shimla, July 31
A flood alert was sounded late this evening along the banks of the Sutlej from Kinnaur to Bilaspur districts following the formation of a huge artificial lake in Tibet close to the Indo-Tibetan border.

According to information reaching here a 350-m-long, 800-m-wide and 15-m-deep lake had been formed which, if breached, could cause devastating floods in the villages along the banks of the Sutlej. The lake has already started overflowing as a result of which the water level in Pirchu, a tributary of the Sutlej, has started rising rapidly. The river enters Kinnaur from Tibet at Kaurik.

The authorities lost no time in alerting the people living downstream as the pace at which the discharge was rising, flash floods could be caused even if the lake remained intact. The reason for formation could not be known, as Tibet is a rain-shadowed area and the monsoon does not reach the region.

Sutlej Jal Vidyut Nigam has immediately shut down the 1500-MW Nathpa Jhakri project, the generation in which was resumed only this afternoon. The project had been closed down to protect the expensive electro-mechanical machinery from being damaged by the silt-laden water of the Sutlej.

Flash floods in the Sutlej on August1, 2000, had caused widespread devastation in Kinnaur, Kulu and Shimla districts.

[Nils_Holgersson]

Hej,

würde das eine Bus-Rückreise von Leh nach Manali behindern?

Tom *dergerade keine Zeit hat auf ne Karte zu gucken*

[Andreas]

@ Tom: nein! Liegt abseits der Ladakhroute

[Guest]

Wow, das tönt gar nicht gut, wenn dieses Wasser kommt gibt es eine Zeit lang kein Durchkommen mehr und schlimme Schäden überall! Der Sutlej ist so schon einer der gewaltigsten Flüsse, die ich je gesehen habe!

Übrigens: Kein Problem für Manali-Leh, aber wahrscheinlich mit Auswirkungen auf Chandra Valley und natürlich Spiti!

[Andreas]

@Moni: Nein, auch das Chandravalley ist davon nicht betroffen: Du wirst weiterhin von Manali kommend, nach Spiti gelangen können, bis runter nach Tabo. Nur Kinnaur herauf besteht die 'Gefahr'.

Andreas

[AndreasW]

@ Tom

Nee, das "Problem" befindet sich viel weiter östlich! Selbst wenn Du nach Mandi, auf der Fahrt nach Chandigarh/Delhi den Sutlej überquerst ist das kein Problem. Die Brücke ist hoch genug...

Gruß AndreasW

[Guest]

Habe mehr gemeint, dass das Chandra Valley indirekt betroffen sein wird, da es ja dann die einzige Verbindung nach Spit ist -> "Verkehr". Als letztes Jahr die Strasse nach Nako gesperrt war, hiess es, dass die ganze Ernte jetzt über den Kunzum muss....

[AndreasW]

@Tom + Moni

Der Manali Leh Highway ist seit letzter Nacht am Rothang Pass auch blockiert. Der Monsun hat das Kullutal erreicht. - Die Farmer freut's!
Dafür scheint die neue Straße am "Malling Block" endlich fertig zu sein.

Lest selbst....

Quelle: http://www.tribuneindia.com

Flash floods destroy Kothi bridge
One washed away, vehicles stranded

M.C. Thakur

Kothi (Manali), August 1
Hundreds of vehicles and Army trucks remained stranded near the tiny village of Kothi, 13 km from here, north of Manali on the Manali-Leh Highway last night at about 12.25 am. After a long dry spell, the monsoons arrived in the Manali region a few days ago. Last night a spell of torrential rains in the Manali region, especially in and around the Gulaba meadows and the 13,050 ft-high Rohtang Pass brought along with it sudden flash floods which completely washed away the 60-ft-long Kothi Bailey Bridge-2.

The flash floods brought along a huge quantity of debris consisting of old trees left-over timber and large boulders, which completely destroyed this bridge.

According to Paras Ram, a labourer laying OFC underground cables in the area and camping at Gulaba, last night the area suddenly experienced heavy rains. The Moru Nullah, flowing down from the Gulaba meadows, then swelled with a huge volume of water. He said that he and the other 20 labourers rushed to the higher ground for safety. But Dayanand, a labourer from Bihar, was caught unawares and was washed away. His body is still to be recovered. Chandershri from Bihar was seriously injured in the floods.

Two temporary tea stalls and dhabhas between Rahala Falls and Gulaba were also washed away. According to Mr Pyar Chand SDO (T) project, the injured had been brought down and taken to Manali hospital for treatment.

The 200-kilowatt Mini Hydel project, constructed just below this bridge was also partially damaged and its operation was stopped.

This project is one of the eight projects allotted to Himachal Pradesh out of the total 20 UNDP GEF projects in the country. According to Narayan Dutt, Project Officer, efforts were being made to repair and restart the electric supply from this project within a few days.

According to officer, in charge (Border Roads Organisation), Mr Manvinder Kumar, the road between Rohtang Pass and Kothi had been damaged in about 25 places. The BRO was working on a war footing to reopen this vital road as this remains the only link to Ladakh from Manali and is used for Army supplies to the border areas. He further said that they would also ensure the reconstruction of the bridge over the Moru Nullah at the earliest. They have already started bringing the parts needed for the rebuilding of this bridge.

A number of trekking groups and jeep Safari participants have also been affected as July and August are the peak season for adventure tourism. Hundred of foreign adventurers have been left stranded near the Rohtang Pass and Kothi as they were either on their way to Spiti and Ladakh or returning from there. According to the travel agents in Manali the adventure tourism in the valley would be adversely affected if the road was not reopened immediately. Earlier the Shimla-Spiti circuit had been affected due to a massive landslide at the Malling Nullah rendering traffic from Shimla to Spiti ineffective. Many groups have changed their itineraries due to the popular Buddhist circuit being cut off at Malling between Kinnaur and Spiti.

This is also the peak season for peas from Lahaul and Spiti, and every day hundred of trucks drive between Lahaul and Manali transporting this produce. If the road is not repaired immediately the farmers from these far-flung areas will also suffer heavy losses as many of them have already harvested their crops and made arrangements for transportation.

Many of the stranded trucks are carrying fresh peas which may rot if not, brought to the markets in time.

According to the local police an unidentified body was recovered from the banks of the River Beas this morning at Kanchnikut and has been sent to Kullu Zonal Hospital for post-mortem.

[Guest]

Wow, für uns Touris eigentlich schade, jetzt nicht in Spiti zu sein- "abgeschnitten auf unbestimmte Zeit" :-)! Für die Leute dort hoffe ich natürlich, dass die Strasse möglichst schnell wieder offen ist!!!

[AndreasW]

Crisis management groups formed to meet flood threat

Tribune News Service

Shimla, August 2
While hoping for the best, the government is preparing for the worst as the threat of flash floods continued to loom large over the villages located along the banks of the Sutlej following the formation of a huge lake due to blockage of the Pareechu , one of its tributary, by a landslide in Tibet close to the border.

The government today decided to set up crisis management groups in Kinnaur, Shimla, Kulu, Mandi and Bilaspur districts, through which the river passes, so that prompt action could be taken for carrying out relief and rescue operations in case of flash floods.

The decision was taken at a high-level meeting held here today under the chairmanship of the Additional Chief Secretary, Mr S.S. Parmar, to take stock of the situation.

It was decided that wireless network along both banks of the river right from Sumdoh, from where Peerchu enters Kinnaur from Tibet, down to the Bhakra Dam be strengthened so that timely information could be passed to alert the people. It was also decided that sufficient quantities of foodgrains, cooking gas, kerosene and other essential commodities be stocked in the region to ensure that there was no shortage in such an eventuality.

It decided to set up a control room at the state headquarters and in the districts from which the river passes through. The Additional Deputy Commissioner, Kaza, has been asked to monitor the flow of the river at Sumdoh.

The Sutlej Jal Vidyut Nigam was also asked to take the necessary protective measures for the safety of the 1500 MW Nathpa Jhakri project.

It was decided that a helicopter should be kept ready for emergency situation and the employees of health and other departments concerned should not be allowed to go on leave.

Meanwhile, the Nathpa Jhakri project resumed generation this afternoon.

[bruno]

das würd mich auch grad brennend interessieren

bruno

[AndreasW]

Families evacuated as lake may overflow soon

Rakesh Lohumi
Tribune News Service

Shimla, August 3
The lake formed due to the blockade of the Parechu, a tributary of Sutlej, in Tibet is rising by 80 cm every day and may start overflowing over the next 24 to 48 hours.

Satellite imageries have revealed that the river has been blocked at a distance of about 60 km from the Indo-Tibet border and the size of the lake is growing at an alarming pace. The surface area of the lake was 123 hectare on July 16. It increased to 137 hectare on July 21 and to 140 hectare on July 26.

The satellite pictures for August were not available yet but the scientists maintain that the surface area might have reached 150 hectare today.

The Kinnaur district authorities evacuated some families and labourers living in the low-lying areas of Leo and Reta Khan in view of the reports that water might start overflowing over the next two days.

According to Mr Maneesh Garg, Deputy Commissioner, about 40 families had been shifted to the upper areas in government buildings at Leo and over 100 workers at Reta Khan had been moved to safer places and lodged in tents. The Army and the Indo-Tibetan Border Police units stationed in the area had also been alerted.

The local villagers who remain in touch with the people across the border had also gathered information that the blockade had been caused by heavy boulders and might not give way easily. The blockade was already one-month old.

The authorities feel if the water starts overflowing the blockade would start eroding from the top and in that eventuality there is a little likelihood of flash floods though the water level may rise appreciably. Serious problems will arise only if the blockade gives way suddenly.

As the level of water and silt content are both expected to rise significantly once the lake starts overflowing, the Nathpa Jhakri project authorities have been asked to take all required precautionary measures. The 1500 MW project had been shut down thrice over the past fortnight due to a sudden rise in the silt level.

Even today only four out of the six 250 MW units are in operation. The Sutlej Jal Vidyut Nigam has established an observation post at Khab where the Spiti river joins the Sutlej to monitor the flow.

In case of any abnormal increase in the discharge or the silt content the project authorities would have enough time to take protective measures as it takes about three hours for water to reach Nathpa, the dam site, from Khab.

[Andreas]

Wer den Zusammenfluss von Spiti und Sutlej kennt, mit der spektakulären Straße, die in den Fels geschnitten ist, und den wildschäumenden Flüssen, kann erahnen, welches Naturereignis sich hier anbahnt.

Besonders die Strecke zwischen Morang und Pooh im oberen Kinnaur sind meines Erachtens gefährdet. Man fährt hier längere Zeit in einer engen Schlucht mit senkrechten Felsen direkt neben dem Sutlej. Hätte da jetzt kein gutes Gefühl.

In den 90ern gab es zwischen Nako und Sumdo einen Bergsturz, der einer der größten des Planeten war. Ein Hang rutsche auf einer Breite von mehreren Kilometern etwa 600 m tief ab. Man konnte Ende der 90er noch die Gewalt erahnen; weil die Straße einfach ins Leere führte:
../../upload/bild17.jpg
rot ist der Abriss, blau die ehemalige Straße, grün die Umgehungsstraße (ebenfalls gefährdet).
Blick nach Südosten: Nako liegt ganz hinten, wo es etwas grün ist.

../../upload/bild18.jpg
die Umgehungsstraße durch das labile Gebiet.

Wenn die befürchtete Flut wirklich katastrophal ausfällt, kann es durchaus sein, dass das Wasser den Hangfuß in dieser Gegend erneut angräbt und das labile Gebiet wieder in Bewegung gerät.

Grüße,
Andreas

sorry für die schlechte Scanqualität

[AndreasW]

Ja, hoffen wir, daß es nicht so schlimm kommt...

Gefährdet wäre das gesamte untere Spitital bis zum Zusammenfluß mit dem Sutlej und natürlich das gesammte Sutlejtal. Ich möchte im Moment dort nicht mit dem Jeep unterwegs sein. Nun kommt noch dazu, daß der Monsun in der Region gerade mit aller Gewalt "zuschlägt".
"The Tribune" http://www.tribuneindia.com ist heute voll mit Nachrichten. Man spricht zum Teil von den stärksten Regenfällen seit 20 Jahren. Gestern war wohl nicht einmal Chandigarh von Delhi aus mit den Zug zu erreichen...

Reisen in Himachal wird sich wohl die nächsten Tage nicht so einfach gestalten. Mal sehen, ob ich Ende August zum Kinner Kailash komme. Ich schaue mir schon mal den Weg von Süden aus dem Pabbar Valley ins Sangla Valley als Alternative an. Aber dorthin muß man ja auch erst mal kommen...

Drücken wir alle die Daumen!!!

Gruß AndreasW

[Guest]

Ich stimme Andreas bei, Sumdo und Umgebung dürften am gefährdetsten sein, aber auch am unteren Teil des Sutlej, in der Nähe von Narkanda, dürfte es kritisch werden, da dort Strasse, Felder und Bauernhäuser zum Teil recht tief gelegen sind. Das Leo bereits evakuiert wurde, zeigt die Auswirkungen aufs Spiti Tal!
AndreasW, wünsche Dir viel Glück ud Spass am Kinnaur Kailash, ein wunderschöner Berg!!!

[Moni]

Bei Khab, Zusammenfluss Spiti (links) und Sutlej (rechts)!

[Andreas]

@ moni: danke für das Bild!

Wir sind 1999 noch anders gefahren:
Man kann auf der anderen Seite der Brücke sehen,
dass die Straße früher erst noch ein Stückchen nach
rechts ging, bevor sie den Sutlej überquerte. Sie war in
den Felsen eingeschnitten, wie hier markiert:

../../upload/DSCN5626klein.jpg

Der Straßenkörper wurde bei der letzten Sutlejflut
(1. Aug. 2000) mitgenommen; wie man sieht, teilweise
nur mehr blanker Fels. Diese neue Brücke weiter unten,
direkt an der Spitimündung scheint mir allerdings auch
nicht gerade sicher zu sein.

Andreas

[Moni]

Da hast Du ganz recht, aber irgendwie India-Style! Denk an die Strasse bei Nako, von der Du Bilder zeigst- als wir letztes Jahr dort waren, hat es fast gleich ausgesehen, mind. 300 m Strasse einfach weg! Also jedes Jahr das gleiche Spiel, Strasse wieder bauen und auf den nächsten Monsun warten! Ich weiss nicht, ob dies an der indischen Ingenieurskunst, an fehlenden Mitteln oder an fehlender Weitsicht liegt.... Natürlich sind befestigte Strassen und noch mehr Tunnels sehr sehr teuer, aber langfristig vielleicht trotzdem die günstigere Variante!

[AndreasW]

Blast rumour by China triggers flood threat

Rakesh Lohumi
Tribune News Service

Shimla, August 4
Unconfirmed reports that China had conducted a limited blast to ensure controlled release of water from a lake formed in Tibet due to blockage of Parechu, a tributary of Sutlej, kept the people living downstream on tenterhooks and the administration on a high alert.

Rumours were there since morning that the blockage caused by a landslide had breached the lake and that flash floods could lash the villages by the side of the river in Kinnaur district anytime. It takes only about two hours for the water from the lake site to reach the Indian territory at Sumdoh but there was no rise in the water level till noon.

However, the district administration was really alarmed when the in charge of the Indo Tibetan Border Police unit at Sumdoh informed the Deputy Commissioner, Kinnaur, Mr Maneesh Garg, that a limited blast had been carried out at 1.45 p.m. to release water from the lake. The report was promptly faxed to the Chief Secretary so that the necessary measures could be taken to face the likely floods in the downstream areas along the river right from Kinnaur to Bilaspur.

The water was expected to reach Sumdoh latest by 4 p.m. but river continued to flow quietly till late evening.

Inquiries made by this correspondent revealed that the ITBP report was probably based on information provided by local people who said that they had heard the sound of an explosion. The Commandant of the ITBP, based at Rekong Peo, also had no confirmed information about the limited blast. The military and Central intelligence agencies also did not have any definite information.

The unconfirmed information was taken seriously by the administration as it did not want to take any chances. More so because flash floods in Sutlej in August 2000 had caused unprecedented devastation right from Kinnaur to Sunni. Further, the possibility of the blockage giving way and keeping the people and administration on a high alert was required.

Mr Shamsher Singh, Chief Secretary, reviewed the situation at a high-level meeting which was attended by senior officers of all departments. It was underlined that though there was no immediate danger of flash floods and the flow in the river was normal at Sumdoh yet the administration must remain alert to deal with any situation.

It was informed in the meeting that adequate stock of essential commodities had been stored in the areas, likely to be affected in case of flash floods and control rooms had been set up in all four districts through which the river passes.

[Andreas]

Dieser letzte Artikel ist ein Paradestück der angespannten Beziehungen zwischen Indien und China. Nicht einmal bei einer drohenden zivilen Katastrophe funktioniert eine vernünftige Zusammenarbeit. Da spielen Eitelkeiten und tiefes Mißtrauen eine Rolle.
Indische Sprengeinheiten könnten von Sumdoh in kürzester Zeit dort sein. Chinesische Mannschaften hätten einen ungleich längeren Weg.

Man kann nur hoffen, dass die Sache gut ausgeht.

Andreas

[AndreasW]

@Andreas

Von den Chinesen ist da sicher sehr wenig zu erwarten, zumal der Erdrutsch den Parechu schon seit einem(!) Monat blockieren soll. Das Mißtrauen ist noch hoch!

In Indien hält sich ja auch immer noch das Gerücht, daß die Flut im Jahre 2000 von den Chinesen inszeniert wurde - Ein Anschlag auf den Dalai Lama!!!

Damals kam die Flutwelle direkt vom Sutlej aus Tibet (Guge). Das Gebiet liegt im Monsunschatten. Es gab zwar schwere Wolkenbrüche im oberen Kinnaur und Westtibet, aber diese sind meist so regional und können eine Flut von solchem Ausmaß kaum auslösen.
So hällt man es für möglich, daß der Sutlej in Tibet "bewußt" blockiert wurde und man in dem Moment geflutet hat, als der Dalai Lama und sein Gefolge über Kinnaur nach Kye in Spiti zur Kalachakra Initiation reisen wollte. - Er nahm aber den Weg über den Rothang und Kunzum Pass...

Soviel aus der "Gerüchteküche"...

@Moni

Danke für Deine guten Wünsche. Wir können sie sicher gebrauchen...

Der Straßenbau in Himachal macht eigentlich riesige Fortschritte. Dort sind schon ehrgeizige Ingeneure aktiv (oft zu aktiv). Aber in einer solchen fragilen und extremen Umwelt holt sich halt die Natur jedes Jahr ihren Tribut zurück.
Arbeitskräfte sind dort ja das Billigste. Wer einmal gesehen hat mit welch einfachen Mitteln im Himalaya Straßen gebaut werden, weiß was ich meine.
Bei uns würde sich sicher keiner an eine kaputte Bergtraße setzen und einen Felsen mit der Hand so lange klein klopfen, bis er die richtige Schottergröße hat...

Überlassen wir es doch den Indern, wie sie ihre Straßen bauen...

Gruß
AndreasW

[Andreas]

Der Straßenbau in Himachal macht eigentlich riesige Fortschritte. Dort sind schon ehrgeizige Ingeneure aktiv (oft zu aktiv). Aber in einer solchen fragilen und extremen Umwelt holt sich halt die Natur jedes Jahr ihren Tribut zurück.

Dazu eine kleine Story:
Busfahrt von Dharamsala nach Manali im Monsun. Die Natur schlug zu, holte sich ihren Tribut. Straße hoch über dem Beas war tags zuvor gestaffelt abgerutscht:

../../upload/bild15.jpg

Die Straße wurde nicht etwa gesperrt, sondern es kam einfach ein Bulldozer, der die auch von oberhalb abgerutschten Massen (rot markiert) in die Tiefe warf.

../../upload/bild16.jpg

Es gab kein Verkehrskonzept oder Organisation. Sobald eine Fahrspur frei war, fuhren die gestauten Busse und LKWs gleichzeitig los und es gab einen furchtbaren Blechsalat. Das schlimme war, dass es wieder zu regnen begann, immer noch Blöcke von oben runterstürzten und die noch vorhandene Straße eindeutig nachgab, wenn ein Bus darüber fuhr.

Es herrschte ein pittoreskes Chaos, das den Traveller erfreut, aber sehr leicht in eine Massenkatastrophe hätte ausarten können.

Andreas

[Moni]

@AndreasW

Ich habe das keinesfalls als Kritik gemeint, das Aufgeworfene ist vielmehr eine von tausend Fragen, die sich mir gestellt haben, als ich in Indien herumreiste. Indien ist für mich voller (faszinierender) Widersprüche. So kannst Du in Leo Menschen beobachten, die den ganzen Tag Steine zu Kies verhacken, während gerade obendran in Nako eine Monstermaschine steht, die das Gleiche tut. Dies wiederum ohne Gewichtung. Es gibt noch tausende solcher Beispiele, und eigentlich finde ich es sehr spannend, darüber zu diskutieren und Hintergründe zu finden. Denn dies macht doch u.a. die Faszination Indien aus....

Zu China: Ich glaube, beide Länder stehen ziemlich unter Druck, seien das weltpolitische Gründe (z.B. Verhältnis zur USA), lokalpolitische Gründe und natürlich wirtschaftliche Gründe (beides sind potentiell riesige Märkte). Sie haben Angst voneinander, müssen sich aber gleichzeitig annähern (vgl offizielle Anerkennung Tibets als Teil von China). Zudem sind beide Länder riesig, eine gute Verwaltung bis in die "hintersten Täler" ist ein unglaubliches Unterfangen. Und braucht Zeit.... Es ist zu hoffen, dass sich dies ändern wird.

Doch genug Diskussion und Philosophie, schliesslich ist dies ein Trekkingforum ;-)!

[AndreasW]

Flood threat looms large over state

Tribune News Service

Shimla, August 5
A high alert was sounded along the banks of Sutlej river from Sumdoh downstream in the wake of the reports that a controlled blast to remove the blockade, which formed a 150 hectare lake in Tibet, could raise the water level in the river up to 75 feet.

A high-level meeting held under the chairmanship of the Chief Secretary, Mr Shamsher Singh reviewed the situation on the basis of the information provided by the Centre regarding the status of the lake and the efforts being made to get the impounded water released.

The quantity of water had been estimated at 22 to 25 million cubic metres and the possibility of an overflow during the controlled blast could not be ruled out. In the worst scenario, the water level in the river could swell by 23 metres over and above the existing level.

The Deputy Commissioners of Kinnaur, Shimla, Mandi and Bilaspur were asked to ensure that people living along the banks of the river, particularly the workers engaged by different construction companies, be shifted to safer places.

The Chief Secretary stressed that wireless network of the Police Department should be strengthened right down to the grassroots so that communication could be maintained in case of a breakdown of the telecommunication system. It was informed that a high frequency wireless centre had been established at Sumdoh to provide links all over the Kinnaur district.

The Kinnaur district authorities have already shifted about 1000 persons, mostly construction workers from Chango, Sholtu, Nathpa, Shalkar, Tapri, Leo and Reta Khan and some other low-lying villages along the banks of Sutlej over the past three days as a precautionary measure.

There has been no abnormal increase in the discharge in the river, though that water in Parechu turned muddy for some time last night. The discharge at Khab, where the Spiti river joins Sutlej, was 213 cusecs, out of which the Spiti contributed 99 cusecs.

[Andreas]

Hallo,

Um ein wenig den Zusammenfluss von Spiti River und Sutlej bei Khab zu dokumentieren, habe ich auf Weltbilder.cc einige Bilder hochgeladen:
http://www.weltbilder.cc/details.php?image_id=1499
Und dann einfach auf 'Nächstes Bild' ganz unten klicken!

Andreas

[AndreasW]

Is lake really that big?

Tribune News Service

Shimla, August 6
Wide discrepancy in the size of the water body formed in Tibet due to blockage of the Parechu, tributary of the Spiti river, has raised serious doubts regarding the authenticity of the data being provided by the Chinese authorities.

As per the initial data provided by the Chinese authorities, the lake was 3,800 m long, 800 m wide and had a depth of 15 m as on July 27.It was also said that it was rising at a rate of 79 cm per day. The total quantity of water was calculated to be 21 million cubic metre. However, satellite imageries revealed that the size of the water body was much smaller. The surface area of the lake was only 123 hectare on July 16 and it increased to 137 hectare on July 21. The dimensions of the lake worked out to 1,800 m by 900 m with a total surface area of 140 hectare as on July 26.

The latest data provided through the Indian Ambassador at Beijing today raises more doubts. As per the information the lake has as on August 4 had acquired a length of 6,000 m and become 1,500 m wide. Further, the height of the blockade is 71 m and the water level in the lake is now rising at the rate of 48 cm per day. The total quantity of water is now put at 49 million cubic metre.

Engineers of the Nathpa Jhakri project point out that given the low discharge of about 20 cumecs (cubic metre per second) of the Parechu, the size of the water body can not increase so dramatically within a matter of days. It took them more than three years to built a 60 m dam at Nathpa to impound the Satluj. The reservoir, thus formed, is much smaller even though the river has and average discharge of 500 cumecs, over 25 times that of the Parechu. The length of the reservoir is slightly over 3 km.

The discrepancy in the Chinese data is most evident from the fact that with the level of the lake rising by just 48 cm per day its depth could not increase from 15 m to 71 m over a period of nine days. Engineers feel that as the blockage has been caused in a very remote area of Tibet, even the Chinese authorities may not be aware of the actual size of the water body. They may be relying on information gathered from local people.


Indian team to inspect Tibet lake

Prashant Sood
Tribune News Service

New Delhi, August 6
With a huge artificial lake in a tributary of the Satluj river in Tibet threatening to cause flash floods in Himachal Pradesh, the Centre has decided to send a technical team to the site to find ways to prevent damage.

Official sources said China had agreed to the Indian request for sending a team to the site of artificial lake which is about 35 km from the Line of Control. The team is likely to leave for Tibet tomorrow after names of hydrological experts are finalised and a formal clearance is obtained from the Chinese Government. The sources said China had conveyed that the team should only have non-military members.

The artificial lake, upstream of the Parechu tributary of the Satluj, is estimated to contain 49 million cubic metre water. It has been created due to huge boulders blocking the flow of water.

“Sudden burst of artificial lake can lead to a 150-feet tidal wave in the Satluj which will threaten large areas in six districts of Himachal Pradesh,” a senior official said.

Sensing the threat, Himachal Pradesh Government has evacuated people living near the banks of the river to safer places. Precautionary measures have been taken by the authorities at Naptha Jhakri as the project had suffered damage worth crores in 2002. Officials said the contours of the place where water had accumulated were such that it was a pit. Among the solutions envisaged is controlled release of water. HP CM Virbhadra Singh expressed his satisfaction over the efforts being done by the Centre to deal with the problem.

[AndreasW]

ENTWARNUNG ... ¤*# ???

No flashflood threat, say reports from China

Shimla, August 7
Maintaining the high alert in the wake of flood threat due to the formation of a lake in Tibet, the government today decided not to dismantle the Bailey bridges and restart generation in the Nathpa-Jhakri project on the Sutlej river in view of latest reports from China that there was no immediate possibility of the blockade giving way and causing flash floods.

Latest satellite imageries indicate that the size of the lake formed in Tibet due to blockage of the Parechu , a tributary of the Sutlej, by landslide has a surface area of just 150 hectares. However, the data provided by the Chinese authorities yesterday had put it at 900 hectares.

The satellite image taken at 2.00 pm yesterday reveals that the lake is 1,900 m in length and 9,00 m wide. The government last evening received the report of the National Remote Sensing Agency, Hyderabad, in this regard. There has been an increase of 10 hectares in the surface area since July 26 when the last satellite image was taken. The surface area was 123 hectares on July 16, 137 hectares on July 21, 140 hectares on July 26 and 150 hectares on August 7.

However, as per information provided by the Chinese authorities to the Government of India August 4, the water body had acquired a length of over 6,000 m and a width of 1,500 m. The water level had risen to 71 m and the front height of the dam created by the landslide was 80 m. The surface area worked out to 900 hectares.

The Western Command had urged the government to review the decision to dismantle the Bailey bridges and had written to the Chief Secretary in this regard. The matter was also discussed at a meeting held in Delhi to review the situation in which the state was asked not to dismantle the bridges and it was assured that in case these were washed away by flash floods, the Centre would provide new ones.

A hotline had also been established with China so that information in case of a breach in the blockade could be provided instantly. Villagers living by the side of the river would get at least two hours more to move to safer places.

It was also decided that generation would be resumed in the 1500 mw as soon as the level of silt, which had increased 13,000 ppm (parts per million), came down. The project authorities would put in place a warning mechanism so that workers could be evacuated from the power house and necessary protective measures taken to safeguard the project.

The state electricity board has also decided to continue with normal generation in the 126 mw Bhabha project and the 22.50 mw Ghanvi project which are located by the side of the Sutlej. It has prepared a contingency plan to deal with the threat, which will enable it to evacuate the manpower deployed and close down the project well before the flood waters reach the site.

Work of shifting people from low-lying areas of Kinnaur, Shimla, Mandi and Kulu continued for the third day today.

Tibet-bound experts to be in Chandigarh today

Prashant Sood
Tribune News Service

New Delhi, August 7
The Centre has finalised the team which will go to Tibet to try and “puncture” the artifical lake on a tributary of the Satluj even as latest satellite pictures show the lake to have lesser dimensions than the estimates made on the basis of data provided by the Chinese authorities.

The team comprises three persons from the Central Water Commission, an official of the Indian School of Mines, Dhanbad, and a tunnelling engineer of Naptha Jhakri project. The team will reach Chandigarh tomorrow and await clearence from the Chinese government before flying to the site of the artifical lake in Tibet.

Official sources said the latest satellite pictures show the artificial lake to be nearly 1.9 km long and 900 meters wide. The information provided by the Chinese authorities had described the lake to be nearly 6 km long and 1500 metres wide. “Among the first tasks of our team will be to find out the basis of information given by the Chinese government,” a senior offical said.

The Centre’s core group, comprising officials from the Central Water Commission, HP government, Ministries of External Affairs, Home and Defence besides Army and Air Force reviewed the situation today about the threat of flash flood in view of latest satellite images.

Officials said the situation was “alarming but not panicky.” They said a sudden burst in the lake could still lead to a flash flood in Satluj which will be higher in magnitude to the last floods in the river which had led to over 100 deaths and had washed away several bridges. “The main idea is to puncture the artificial lake upstream of Parechu tributay of the Satluj,” a senior offical said. They said previous satellite pictures were not clear as weather was cloudy. “Any estimate about the quantum of water in the lake will be hypothetical unless we know the depth,” he added.

With a reduced threat perception, the Himachal Pradesh government has decided not to remove the Bailey bridges over the Satluj in higher reaches of the state. Sources said the Army had been asked to be ready with “stand-by bridges” in case a flash flood comes. However, the state government has to continue precautionary measures along the Satluj banks. A mock exercise will be done tomorrow to check the speed of information flow once an alert is sounded by the Army about a burst in the lake.

Sources said suggestions have also been made to the NJPC to resume production in power houses closed due to threat of flash floods. “They would have time to take precautionary measures if a flash flood comes,” an official said.

Flood-scared move to safety

Rakesh Lohumi
Tribune News Service

Shimla, August 7
Haunted by harrowing memories of the devastating floods of August, 2000, people of low-lying villages along the banks of the Sutlej are shifting to safer places.

Panic has gripped the entire belt along the river right from Sumdoh in Kinnaur to Kol Dam in Mandi. The threat of flash floods has been looming large over the area ever since information about formation of a lake in Tibet was received about two weeks ago. But panic set in after the district administration started making public announcements, advising people to move to safer places as floods could lash the villages anytime. Families moving along with belongings are a common sight in these areas.

Prompt action taken by the Public Works Department in dismantling the Wazir Bowri bridge at Rampur made things worse as the perceived threat became “real” for residents. The department started the dismantling early in the day and the government reversed the decision in the afternoon. Residents of 57 buildings identified in the danger zone had been on tenterhooks. There were reports that the some banks may shift branches temporarily. Hundreds of families have shifted from Powari, Tapri, Choling, Wangtu, Reta Khan, Rampur, Luri, Tattapani .

In August, 2000, a large number of people were washed away in sleep in floods. All bridges on Sutlej from Powari to Rampur and vast stretches of road were wiped out and most parts of Kinnaur district remained cut off for more than six months. The Border Roads Organisation was forced to change the alignment as the fast flowing river had cut the hill slopes almost vertically.

While last time people suffered because the furious river caught them unawares, this time the advance information about the possibility of flash floods is giving them nightmares. There seems to be no early end to their woes.

Hoffen wir weiter, daß keine Alptraum daraus wird!

[AndreasW]

Army on high alert after Chinese warning

Rakesh Lohumi
Tribune News Service

Shimla, August 8
The civil administration, the Army and the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) were again put on high alert following a flash message from the Chinese authorities that the lake formed in Tibet due to blocking of Parchu, a tributary of the Sutlej, could overflow or the blockage could give way anytime during the next 24 hours.

Sources said the message was sent on the basis of the report of a team sent by the Chinese Government to inspect the lake site yesterday. The team indicated that the entire area was having incessant rain as a result of which the water level in the lake was rising at an alarming rate. It could overflow anytime, it said. The report also did not rule out the possibility of the lake dam formed by the landslide bursting under pressure.

Enquiries made by this correspondent indicated that there was no rain on the Indian side of the border during the past 24 hours and the sun had been shining brightly in the Sumdoh area throughout the day. However, clouds were visible on the high hills, but it was not possible to make out how much rain had been received. The government was relying on the Chinese information and taking no chances.

However, there has been no increase in the discharge of the Parechu river.

While preparing for the worst, the officials have been trying to assess the likely impact of the floods in case the dam bursts. There has been wide discrepancy in the size of the water body as calculated by the National Remote Sensing Agency (NRSA), Hyderabad, using the satellite imageries and the one worked out on the size worked out on the basis of the data provided by the Chinese authorities.

As per the NRSA report the lake was 1,900 m long and 900 m wide and the total surface area worked out to 150 hectares on the basis of the satellite image taken on August 6 at 2 pm. The Chinese authorities, however, informed that the lake had acquired a length of 6,000 m and become 1,500 m wide by August 4. Further, the level of water has risen to 71 m at the front end of the 80 m high blockade. The surface area works out to be around 900 hectare, around six times the area calculated on the basis of satellite imageries.

The quantity of accumulated water works out to about 49 million cubic metre on the basis of the Chinese information. Working out the dynamics of the water flow in case the dam bursts suddenly, engineers of the Nathpa-Jhakri Project maintain that the discharge in the Sutlej can cross the 7,500 cusecs mark if the water is released in one hour.

The maximum water level of the Sutlej can go up to 13 m as against 11 m in August, 2000. It will be around 6,000 cusecs if the release is slow and takes two hours. The level of the Sutlej will then be around 10 m. The possibility of sudden release was less as the lake was elongated.

The intensity of the floods will be around half of that witnessed in August, 2000, if the calculations are made on the basis of the satellite data. In case the depth of the lake is taken to be 23 m, the discharge in the river, if the water is released within an hour, will be 5,000 cusecs. In that eventuality, the floods will not be devastating. Further, the width of the river has been increased significantly right from Khab to Rampur due to the August, 2000, floods.

Mr Shamsher Singh, Chief Secretary, reviewed the preparedness of the administration in dealing with the flood threat at a high-level meeting this evening. He asked officers to maintain round-the-clock vigil and be prepared for any eventuality. He said in case of floods, information should be disseminated to the quarters concerned speedily.

Those living along the banks of the Sutlej and workers engaged in various projects have been advised to shift to safer places immediately. Around 1,000 persons have already been shifted from Tapri, Powari, Reta Khan, Choling and Shalkar in Kinnaur district and about 500 from Shimla and Kulu districts.

Meanwhile, the 1,500 MW Nathpa-Jhakri Project resumed power generation this afternoon following reduction in the level of silt in the Sutlej river.

Out of six 250 MW units, two units were made operational by afternoon. The Sutlej Jal Vidyut Nigam planned to make at least five units operational by the evening. However, it decided against doing so after receiving the flood warning.

[AndreasW]

Parchu panic grips HP
4000 shifted to safety

Rakesh Lohumi
Tribune News Service

Shimla, August 9
Panic gripped people living along the 300-km-length of Sutlej from Kinnaur to Bilaspur as flash floods due to the overflowing of the lake formed in Tibet due to the blockage of Parchu, a tributary, appeared imminent.

While blockade of the tributary caused by a landslide survived the 24 hours warning given by the Chinese authorities, the latest message from Beijing was that it could happen anytime. That the flash floods were imminent also became evident from the fact that the Chinese authorities had started shifting people from low-lying villages across the Sumdoh border. Intelligence sources revealed that people of Gumar and Shatot were being moved to safer places with belongings.

In case there was no breach or overflow the Chinese experts who were at the site will attempt a “limited” blast to get the water released in a controlled way.

The government has to rely on the Chinese authorities as permission to the Indian team for inspecting the lake site had not been granted. It is learnt that Beijing has conveyed that it was also concerned about the safety of its own people and in a better position to deal with the problem.

The civil administration, the Indo Tibetan Border Police and Army remain on high alert. The Army is leaving nothing to chance and its formations, armed prepared for rescue and relief operations, have taken positions at strategic points along the Sutlej at Pooh, Sumdo, Karcham and Jhakri. They also carried out a mock drill to warn the people in the eventuality of flash floods and took seven minutes to complete the exercise.

The 1500 MW Nathpa Jhakri project was shut down and sealed to prevent damage.

However, up to evening there was no increase in the flow of Parchu. The discharge at Sumdoh was 35 Cumecs (cubic metre per second). The water was muddy which could be unrelated to the lake as there were six nullahs which join the river between the lake site and Lapcha, from where the river enters India.

An uneasy calm prevails on both sides of Sutlej as people wait anxiously for the impending disaster. They are re-living virtually the nightmare of August 2000 when the floods came without warning and caused unprecedented devastations. Having seen nature at its devastating best they are not taking any risk this time. About 4,000 people of 30 villages along the banks of the river in Kinnaur, Shimla, Kullu and Mandi districts have been shifted to safer places. The maximum number of 1,300 people has been shifted in Kinnaur district.

While Parchu continues to flow quietly, people are in for another tense night awaiting flash floods.

Meanwhile, the Crisis Management Group, which met under the chairmanship of Mr Shamsher Singh, Chief Secretary, this evening, assessed the situation. He stressed that there should be no let up in preparedness. The people were advised not to venture near the river at night.

No scaling down of alert on floods, says CM

Tribune News Service

Shimla, August 9
Mr Virbhadra Singh, Chief Minister, today said the government would not scale down the high alert despite the wide discrepancy in data regarding the size of the lake formed in Tibet provided by the Chinese authorities and the one made available by the National Remote Sensing Agency (NRSA), Hyderabad, on the basis of the satellite imageries.

Talking to mediapersons here, he said the government had based its response to the perceived flood threat on the basis of the information provided by the Chinese authorities, which indicated a much larger size of the lake than the one worked out by NRSA, in the interest of the safety of the people. He said the government would better take more precautions than get caught unprepared in case of flash floods.

He said the Chinese authorities had given a warning yesterday that the lake could overflow or burst within 24 hours because of heavy rain in the area. However, the weather was clear on the Indian side from where the lake site was at a distance of about 25 km. Moreover, the flow had been normal in the Parechu rivulet all through. Certainly there appeared to be some gap in the information but there was no reason to discount the information given by the Chinese authorities who had been gracious enough to forewarn the country about the flood threat.

He said another interesting feature that had come to notice while analysing the old maps of the Tibet available with the Survey of India and the satellite imageries was that there was a depression at the site even 20 years ago which often held water to take the shape of a lake. He said it was all the play of the nature and one should be prepared to face any eventuality.

He said the government decided against dismantling the Bailey bridges on the Satluj river to avoid inconvenience to the people. The step would have disrupted communications. He said the prime concern of the government to ensure the safety of the people living along the banks of the river. Roads, bridges and other amenities and property could be created again if destroyed.

He said the crisis management group headed by the Chief Secretary had been keeping a close watch on the situation and all arrangements had been put in place to deal with flash floods if and when they occur. He said the government would not be found wanting in ensuring the safety of the people and the restoration of the roads and other infrastructure in any eventuality. To ensure that people were not misled by rumours, the All-India Radio would make necessary announcements regarding the situation round the clock.

[AndreasW]

Flood threat haunts villages

Rakesh Lohumi
Tribune News Service

Shimla, August 10
With the dam formed in Tibet due to blockage of Parchu, tributary of Sutlej, showing signs of breaching and the Chinese authorities not allowing Indian team to inspect the site, people living along the banks of the river may have to live under the shadow of flood threat for an indefinite period. More than two days have passed since the Chinese warned that the lake could overflow or the blockade could give way under increasing pressure of water anytime but nothing of that sort has happened. Flow of water in Parchu has been normal. There is also no definite indication about how the Chinese intended to do to solve problem. In fact, the latest information by the Chinese authorities has created more confusion regarding the size of the lake.

As per information a second lake has been formed upstream close to the first lake which was about 2.50 km long and 20 metre to 25 metre wide. However, the National Remote Sensing agency, Hyderabad, which has been monitoring the size of the lake with satellite imageries, maintained that the lake had only become elongated with the development of narrow but longish tail over the past three days.

The Satellite image taken at 2 pm yesterday (August 9) revealed that while the core area of the lake more or less remained almost same at 145 hectares with length of 1900 metres and maximum width of 1100 metres since August 6, a 2.80 km long and 20 metre wide tail had been formed. The total surface area of the water body along with the tail worked out to 188 hectares. There was also a narrow gallery of almost similar width on the downstream end of the lake up to the blockade point.

The government would have been in better position to handle the crisis had the Chinese allowed the Indian team to visit to have a first hand information on the status of the lake and nature of the blockage. Senior officers feel that magnitude of the crisis had increased due lack of authentic information about the water body. The Government of India left the matter to the lower-rung bureaucracy, which apparently has failed to make the Chinese authorities agree to the visit of the Indian team for site inspection. Things would have been different had the matter been taken up at appropriate political level.

At the moment high alert could not be withdrawn and the 3000 people of 56 villages along the 300 km length of the river who have been shifted to safer places could not return to their homes. They would have to stay in make-shift shelters for an unspecified period. Their life has become miserable. Writer Albert Camus has said that danger when apparently not seen becomes an imperfect and vague imagination of human mind. This is happening in the instant case.

The Government of India must take up the matter at the highest level for the visit of the Indian team so that life could be normal.

Meanwhile the administration, the Army and the ITBP remain on high alert for any eventuality. Besides four platoons of Home Guard, extra police force had been deployed in Rampur. Six medical teams had also been kept standby and the 1500 MW Nathpa Jhakri project had been further closed up to August 12.

[AndreasW]

Satelitenbilder vom angestauten Parechu sind heute hier zu sehen: http://www.tribuneindia.com/2004/20040813/main3.htm

Es scheint ernst zu werden....

China urged to give data on lake
Prashant Sood
Tribune News Service


These three satellite pictures (from left) taken on May 10, July 26 and August 9 depict the size of the lake formed in the Parchu. While the first picture shows that there was no formation of the lake at that time, the ones taken on July 26 and August 9 show the water-spread of the lake at 140 ha and 152 ha, respectively.

New Delhi, August 12
With reports of a "five-metre breach" in the lake in Tibet on the Parchu tributary of Sutlej and its water level returning to "normal," the Centre's core group monitoring the threat of floods has decided to send a team of the Central Water Commission officials to the tributary's entry-point at LAC to measure the flow of water.

Sources said the core group met this evening following information from China about a "five-metre breach" in the lake.

Cabinet Secretary B K Chaturvedi also called a high-level meeting today morning to review the situation regarding threat of flood from water accumulation in the Tibet lake. Sources said the meeting, which was attended by top officials of the Ministries of Home, External Affairs, Defence, Water Resources, besides Director General of ITBP, decided that the issue of visit of an Indian technical team to the lake site should be taken up at the "highest official level." They said the Cabinet Secretary would monitor the situation arising from threat of flood on a regular basis and brief Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.

Sources said the Army had reported that the breach in the lake has brought the water flow in Parechu "back to normal." The water is apparently flowing in Parchu at the level that existed before the huge lake was formed, the sources said. They said the flow of water had not been measured as yet and the Armymen's assessment was based "on what they had seen."

"If the situation remains the same in the next 48 hours, then the threat of flood is likely to recede," a senior official said.

Officials monitoring the flood threat are keen to know the exact intake and discharge from the lake. "The intake and discharge should match or the outflow should be more.

If inflow in the lake is more than outflow, then breach can become wider," the official said.

They said China was being urged to provide data on inflow and outflow from the lake. The sources said breach in the lake was "natural."

China had said today morning that artificial lake was overflowing along its entire length and the condition of the "dam" was unstable.

However, it said later that the water was overflowing the dam smoothly and there was a "five-metre gap" at the top.

Meanwhile, an MEA spokesman said today water overflow from artificial dam had begun. “The dam has not burst yet. It is intact. This information was first obtained at 3 pm today and then rechecked at 5.30 pm. Water is discharging but the condition is not stable,” he said.

The spokesman said “both sides are in close touch”.

Asked about the request of the Indian team to access the artificial lake site, the spokesman said China had said the location was extremely remote and weather was inclement due to continuing rain.

He said the Centre had taken several steps, including strengthening communications and storing essential commodities. IAF helicopters had been kept on stand by for evacuation and ferrying commodities.

Official sources said there was no confirmation of any explosion taking place at the artificial lake site. They said China had also despatched its teams but they reached about a kilometre of the lake site.

The sources said India wanted permission from China for air sortie over the site of lake as it was only about 30 km from the LAC but far off from Tibetian capital Lhasa. However, China had so far not given permission, the sources said.

Deluge anytime!
Breach in Tibet lake: China

Rakesh Lohumi
Tribune News Service

Shimla, August 12
The panic-stricken residents of 56 villages along the banks of the Sutlej were in for yet another tense night with the Chinese authorities informing the Government of India that a breach had started appearing in the Parchu lake blockade in Tibet and that it could give way any time.

Earlier in the day a ‘false’ alarm was raised by the government that the Chinese authorities had carried out a series of controlled blasts to release water which could enter the Indian territory within two to four hours. There was no reason to disbelieve as the information was given to mediapersons by none other than the Chief Secretary, Mr Shamsher Singh, around 1.30 pm. The flood water was expected to reach Sumdoh, where the Parchu enters the country, latest by 5 pm. However, till late evening, there was no increase in the discharge and it became evident that the information was incorrect.

Enquiries made by this correspondent revealed that the Chinese authorities had announced in the morning that the lake had started overflowing and the blockade could give way in four hours. In the meantime, information came from Kinnaur that the people living close to the border heard three blasts.

The government lost no time in pressing the panic button. Within moments, a message was flashed in five districts through which the river passes. Wireless messages were conveyed to all villages within 30 minutes and the rescue teams took positions to combat the disaster. The people, even those living well above the flood-warning zone, moved out of their houses in panic. Shopkeepers downed shutters in the main bazaar of Rampur.

However, it turned out to be false alarm. It came out that no blasts were carried out at the lake site and the blasts that some people claimed to have heard were conducted for making road. In fact, the Chinese authorities had informed that its team could not make it to the site and fell short by about 500 m because of the difficult terrain.

The people heaved a sigh of relief, but just when they thought that the nightmare was over, came the news of the breach appearing in the blockade. Despite the false alarm and discrepancies, the government could not discount the information being given by the Chinese authorities.

The latest data regarding the status of lake puts the depth of the lake at 45 m, as many as 10 m more than the information given on August 9. The inflow of water had come down from 40 to 35 cubic metre per second (cumecs) and the outflow was at the same level at 7 cumecs. The total quantity of water accumulated in the lake had increased from 80 to 84 cubic million metre. Concerned over the prevailing uncertainty and the panic being caused due to lack of authentic information from China, the state government today urged the Centre to take up the matter strongly with the Chinese authorities and make them agree to allow the visit of an Indian team to inspect the lake site. It impressed upon the Centre that there was panic all around and people were reeling under the threat of flood. Such situation could not be allowed to continue. The threat could subside only after an Indian team inspected the site and gave first-hand assessment of the flood threat as also the measure to be taken to handle the crisis.

The Union Cabinet Secretary, Mr B.N. Chaturvedi, immediately convened a meeting to take stock of the situation. It was attended by the Secretary, External Affairs, and other senior officials. It was decided that Mr Chaturvedi would himself monitor the situation on daily basis.

Meanwhile, the false alarm turned out to be mock drill to test preparedness of the disaster-management mechanism put in place by the government .The wireless network was tested. The ITBP strengthened its rescue teams at Sumdoh, Juri, Rampur, Powari, Thangi, Morang and Khab on the request of the administration. The maximum strength had been deployed at Rampur.

Mahesh Chander Sharma adds from Sundernagar: With the spread of news of controlled blasting at Parchu lake in Tibet the various project authorities and officials of the district administration of Mandi and Bilaspur districts have once again sounded alert and started removing the local residents from the banks of the Sutlej in which a flashflood is expected .

The news of a controlled blast at the lake was confirmed by officials of the district administration, the BBMB and the Kol Dam authorities. The authorities also confirmed that rise in the water level was not recorded more than half feet.

The Kol Dam authorities have started moving machinery out of two diversion tunnels and the manpower from the banks of the river to higher places.

Many senior BBMB officials were seen visiting the 990-MW Dehar Power House at Slapper. It is learnt that if the water level rises the gates can be closed any time so that the water does not enter the power house.

The district administration has set up a control room at Mandi. The SDM and the Tehsildar, Karsog, have been camping at Tatapani and Phernu to monitor the situation.

Reports of blasts trigger panic

Pratibha Chauhan
Tribune News Service

Rampur, August 12
Palpable panic and fear among the people residing in areas along the Sutlej was all too visible as the feared flash floods in the state could be hours away as China reportedly triggered a controlled blast at the natural dam over the Parchu river this afternoon.

The panic became even more palpable following heavy movement of the Army, the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) and Home Guard personnel in the areas along the Sutlej. People waiting with baited breath for the impending deluge to happen, could be seen sitting on the parapets along the road, glued to their transistors for any latest information amid conflicting reports.

Though the endless wait for the impending disaster continued, the mushrooming of temporary camps of the Army and the ITBP at Sainj, Duttnagar and Narkanda added to the fear and panic, which could be seen writ large on their faces. Army personnel from the 18 Engineers, Chandi Mandir and Zirakpur pitched their camps for dismantling the Bailey bridges and undertaking rescue and relief. “We are equipped with boats, life jackets, satellite phones, wireless sets, and other rescue material in case the gushing waters hit the area,” said an Army officer.

About 143 families in Rampur, Nogli, Nirsu, Duttnagar and Luri have been shifted to schools and government colonies situated at higher points. “It is like living under the shadow of death as we are unable to even eat the food we cook everyday as we are faced with an uncertain future,” says Krishna Sharma, who has vacated their Golden Jubilee Guest House at Nogli. At certain places like Tattapani, people, who have undergone the misery in 2000, have even removed the wooden doors, windows and frames so that the damage caused is minimum. The villages under threat wore a completely deserted look as people have been shifted out.

It is not just the psychological trauma that the people are undergoing as they could suffer huge financial losses because finding trucks is getting increasingly difficult and the ones available are demanding exorbitant transportation charges.

During the past one week the state government has evacuated 3,500 people from 56 villages in the districts of Kinnaur, Shimla, Kullu and Bilaspur. “We are maintaining round-the-clock vigil to assess the water level which is being measured every five minutes and we are fully geared to meet any emergency situation,” said Mr Gyaneshwar Singh, Superintendent of Police, Kinnaur.

Senior officials here, while confirming the blast by China at 1.10 p.m today, appeared baffled as there had been no increase in the water level. “In case there had been a blast the water should have by now crossed the border between Tibet and India at Lapchla Pass and entered the first habitation at Leo,” remarked an official.

The people, on the other hand, appeared indignant at the conflicting reports both from the government as well as the media. “It is almost one week since we have been camping in the government colony and still we do not know for sure when the water will come and with what intensity,” said a worried Swarna Sharma, who is virtually reliving the horror of August 1, 2000 devastation.

[Andreas]

Schade nur, dass die Satellitenbilder sich nicht vergrößern lassen! :(

Andreas

[AndreasW]

Schade nur, dass die Satellitenbilder sich nicht vergrößern lassen! :(
Andreas



Ja schade, aber es reicht aus, um sich diese Bedrohung vorzustellen. - Es ist schon ein mulmiges Gefühl nächsten Sonntag nach Indien zu fliegen und Kinnaur als Reiseziel zu haben...

Gruß AndreasW

[Andreas]

Du willst um den Kinner Kailash wandern? Dann bist du zumindest beim Trek in Sicherheit.
Aber auf der Fahrt nach Morang gibt es genügend Plätze, wo man nah am Fluss ist.

Ich denke aber, richtig gefährlich wird es nicht. Denn offenbar sind die Behörden ja permanent mit der Bedrohung beschäftigt und es wird wohl eher die Straße gesperrt werden. Und sollte die Flut kommen und Straßen verschwunden sein, kann es natürlich sein, du steckst fest!

Hast du Ausweichziele?

Andreas

[AndreasW]

Klar, der Weg dorthin ist das Problem! Ich möchte am 6./7.9. zu Krishna Janmashtami in Charang sein, um mit den Einheimischen und Sadhus über den Charang Pass nach Chitkul zu wandern und dann im Sangla Valley mit den Dörflern ihr "Blumenfestival" zu feiern.

Diese Feiertage bestimmen meinen Tourplan. - Eventuell besteht noch die Möglichkeit aus dem Pabbar Valley in 4-5 Tagen über den Barua Pass nach Sangla zu laufen und so das Sutlej Valley zu umgehen.

Naja, ich habe 5 Wochen Zeit um vor Ort Entscheidungen zu treffen....

Gruß AndreasW

[AndreasW]

Villages placed in flood-warning zone

Tribune News Service

Shimla, August 13
The administration has identified as many as 56 villages along the Sutlej from Kinnaur to Bilaspur which could be affected by flash floods in the river. The people living upto a height of 23 m from the riverbed have been shifted to safer places. The water level in the river rose to 12 m during the August 2000 flood. A total of 574 families (3,100 persons) have been shifted.

The houses perched on steep slopes in most villages fall in the danger zone. The main habitations where sizeable number of families is likely to be affected are Rampur, Sunni and Jhakri in Shimla district, Leo, Moorang, Karcham and Choling in Kinnaur, Luhri, Brow and Jagatkhana in Kullu and Tatta Pani, Firnu in Mandi and Bot, Kasol and Jamthal in Bilaspur.

../../upload/parechu-flutgefahr.jpg

The following is complete list of villages and hamlets from which people have been shifted.

Kinnaur: Leo, Chango, Shalkar, Spillow, Moorang, Akpa, Powari, Tangling, Karcham, Dalatrang, Kilba, Thikro, Choling, Chholtu, Tapri, Kausthal and Urni. In all 242 families have been shifted from these areas. Besides, about 200 workers engaged in the execution of the Karcham Wangtu project and 300 other labourers have also been shifted. In Choling the army and ITBP units have been shifted.

Shimla: Naini, Bashal, NJPC Colony at Jhakri, Lower Jhakri, Chuhbag, Rampur, Dakolar, Nirshoo, Badhal, Kio, Ghanvi, Bangla, Neogli, Bhaira, Bhadrash, Kepu, Singhapur, Patalri, Chodli, Sainj, Baya, Ogli, Kariyali, Shakrori, Chebri, Garyana and Sunni. As many as 205 families (966 persons) have been shifted from these villages. The maximum number of 364 people have been moved up in Sunni.

Kulu: Behna, Luhri, Brow, Jagatkhana and Thachwa. The total population of these villages is 436 and in all 160 families have been shifted.

Mandi: Shakra, Thalli, Randoul, Tattapani, Tarehadi and Firnu. A total of 79 families have been shifted.

Some villages near Koldam like Bot, Kasol, Harnoda and Jamthal in Bilaspur district also fall in the danger zone.

[AndreasW]

Parchu cannot cause flash floods
Right strategy: prepare for the worst

by Jagmeet Ghuman

Parchu has always remained an unnoticed and small member of hundreds of tributaries of the Satluj. It enters India at Lapcha and joins the Spiti river at Khab, which falls into the Satluj at Samdoh, about 160 km from Rampur Bushahar. A landslide has dammed Parchu nearly 20 km from Lapcha inside China. The height of the terrain is about 4,000 metres from sea level.

According to Survey of India data, the visible dimension of the dam is 178 by 84 by 80 metres having a volume of 1.196 Million Cubic Metres of muck. Taking into the account the submerged parts the actual volume of Parchu, the dam can be much greater surpassing that of the Bhakra Dam (14.28 MCM) and even that of Pong earthen dam over the Beas (65.7 MCM).

The 64 MCM of water has been impounded in this lake. Already power plants have been shut and thousands of people have been shifted to camps at safer places. The possibilities of the rupture of this dam and resulting calamity is being discussed by people, especially of Himachal.

But to avoid panic and devise a fool-proof strategy to avoid losses to our hydroelectrical power projects and other assets, the people need to be informed about possibilities the situation can develop into, feel retired officials of the BBMB, having long experience to man and supervise the discharge measurement, meteorological and snow-melting observatories of the Satluj and the Beas in the catchment area of both rivers.

The material of which the dam is composed of can be either a huge glacier or rocky in nature.

First, we should know the nature of the glacier capable of blocking a river. It is not a mere aggregation of the frozen water but a huge block of myriads of tonnes of ice and rocks having a volume of thousands of cubic kilometre. It moves downward and finally comes to rest at lower heights in the Himalayas, where it melts, leaving unimaginable quantities of shattered rocks which spread into miles and miles of riverbed area, sometimes creating valleys like the Sangla valley and the Baspa in Kinnuar district.

The possibilities of rupture in such a dam and in such a cold region are remote and it cannot lead to flashfloods, points out Mr Kuldeep Singh, a retired Research Assistant of the BBMB, who had served 36 years in many discharge and silt observatories on the Satluj at Luri, Rampur Bushahar, Tatta Pani and Namgia.

If the dam has been formed by a landslide, then it is composed of rocks, gravel and sand which can withstand the thrust of water. The water can either spill over the dam or can percolate through small gaps in between the rocks or filter through gravel, allowing the dam to remain intact.

The scenario again cannot lead to flash floods. Flash floods can occur if another piece of ice or rock falls into this over-flowing lake, splashing instantly huge quantities of water over the head of the dam. But such an occurrence is rare in nature. Now the question of its giving way under the pressure of the wall of water, there are many possibilities. One is that the water creates a sluice at the bottom, asserts Mr. Kuldeep Singh.

Since the glacier is in a shattered condition, any gaps created at the bottom are likely to be immediately filled with the settling down of glacier. If not, then water can rush out through small gaps in between the rocks. This cannot release water enough to create flashfloods downstream. The other possibility is the creation of sluices above the bed line may be 30, 40 or even up to 50 metres. In that situation a sluice having a dimension of 100 square metres cannot create any flash flood because of the lesser amount of water stored at that level, opines Mr. Kuldeep Singh.

Moreover, due to the topography of the Parchu area, beyond that line the Himalayas recede into a plateau and the rise in the level of the riverbed is not that steep as in the lower Himalayas, remarks Mr. Jarnail Singh, a retired senior official of the BBMB who had supervised different observatories of the Satluj and the Beas. The third option is that the lake may not contain 64 million cubic metres of water and much of the depth near the dam can be composed of ice and rocks brought down by the glacier.

Assuming an average run-off of 2.84 cubic metre per second in the snow-melting season, the total amount of water collected during the 60 days period comes to 15 MCM, which is almost 1/4th of that given by the NRSA data, says Mr. Jarnail Singh. The next possibility is that due to the cold and pressure of huge amounts of ice in the glacier, it is not possible for the water to melt the snow to cause sluices big enough to exhaust the entire body of water within a period of 2-3 hours, which is necessary to cause flashfloods. Another possibility is that water may not be able to create any sluices in the body of dams. Then this can lead to an overflowing which cannot lead to a flood at all.

One more possibility is that another body of ice may suddenly slit into this lake, resulting in the splashing of a huge quantity of water over the head of the dam leading to a devastating flood as it happened in August, 2000. But such possibilities are rare. Glaciers in the last stage of their moment are a few in number, maintains another retired official of the BBMB. So none of the possibilities discussed above can lead to flash floods. However, in nature possibilities are inexhaustible. So we must keep ourselves prepared for the worst.

With the average width of the Satluj being at 60 metres in the Rampur area, the rise in the water level can be 3.33 metres at the most which does not give rise to a situation that can be considered as panicky as is made out by the reports of various agencies.

Moreover, the water cannot move immediately from Parchu to Rampur. It will come out of sluices gradually. Parchu is about 200km above Rampur. Assuming an average width of the Satluj to 30 metres, the stretch of the river from Parchu to Rampur can contain 64 million cubic metre of water up to a depth of 9 metre that under no circumstances can surpass the level achieved in the last flash floods.

[AndreasW]

2 ft rise in Parchu level

Rakesh Lohumi
Tribune News Service

Shimla, August 14
The nightmare may have been over with the lake formed in Tibet due to the blockade in Parchu river overflowing steadily over the past 48 hours. But the threat of flashflood will continue to haunt the people living along the banks of the river until the blockage breaches to facilitate safe release of water or attains an assured degree of stability.

There were indications of overflow as water level in the Parchu art Sumdoh, the point where the river enters the country, started increasing early in the morning and became steady after rising by 2 feet. The Chinese authorities also stated that the lake was overflowing from the breach and the quantity of water was expected to increase gradually due to erosion of the blockade at the top.

They maintained that the view of their experts was that the accumulated water should be allowed to get released in a natural way and any measure like blasting the rocks to expedite the process could burst the blockade.

The Chinese authorities also agreed to reply to the queries of the Indian experts regarding the parameters of the lake and other vital information to assess the nature of the blockade. The experts of the Central Water Commission have been asked to carry out a detailed exercise and prepare a list of queries so that all relevant information could be sought in one go.

The Centre has asked the agencies concerned to ascertain the reason for the increase in the flow of the river. It also asked the state to maintain a high alert until Monday when the situation would be reviewed.

The General Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Western Command, Lieut-Gen J.J. Singh, accompanied by Lieut-Gen P.K. Grover visited the forward areas along the Indo-Tibet border to review the preparedness of the Army formations in the event of flashfloods.

He directed that the highest state of alert be maintained and information be released in coordination with the civil administration.

[AndreasW]

Threat of flash floods persists

Shimla, August 16
The high alert along the banks of the Sutlej from Sumdoh in Kinnaur district to Kol Dam in Bilaspur continued for the 9th day today as the flash-flood threat due to the formation of an artificial lake on the Parchu in Tibet loomed large.

There was no change in the situation and the state government was awaiting the report of the five-member team of experts which visited the affected area yesterday. Any decision to scale down the alert will depend on the feedback received from the Centre and at present the entire machinery was on a high alert to meet any eventuality, official sources said.

The discharge of water of the Spiti and the Sutlej at Khaab monitoring station was 164 cumecs and 93 cumecs respectively, which was normal. The discharge at the Nathpa dam on the Sutlej was also 511.76 cumecs, showing no change in the past 24 hours.

As the flash flood could completely disrupt the road communication, the taxi operators were also not willing to go to these areas as they fear that they will be stranded for days in case flash floods occurred.

The operators, who were stuck up in the area during the devastating flash floods of 2000 when most of the bridges on the Sutlej were washed away and several kilometres of roads were breached, were not ready to go to the Kinnaur and Rampur areas at any cost.

The tour operators feel that the tourist might not come even if the high alert was scaled down as it will be difficult to convince them that their safety was ensured and there will be no turbulence in the Sutlej due to the formation of the artificial lake.

The flash-flood threat will be minimised by mid-September when the snow in the high altitude areas will stop melting and the discharge of water will be reduced drastically but the tourist season will be over by then. — PTI






Flash flood threat forces trekkers to change rout ¤*#

Kuldeep Chauhan
Tribune News Service

Mandi, August 16
The threat of flash flood from the lake on Parchu river has sent trekkers, mainly foreigners, rebounding from the Shimla-Rampur-Kinnaur route in the Sutlej valley to the Manali-Lahaul-Leh route.

Even in the Parbati valley in Kulu district, the flash flood in the Jhigrai nullah which had trapped 20 workers, and the accident which killed 12 persons, including a couple of foreigners last week at Jari on the Bhuntar-Kasol-Manikaran route, have turned foreigners away from the valley. The inflow has decreased here after the news of flood flashed across the country last week, said hoteliers at Kasol, a new haunt for the foreigners in the Parbati valley.

The Manikaran- Kasol-Kheerganga and the Jari-Malana are two popular trekking routes among foreigners. Another popular treks include Manali- Tsamo-mo-lake in Leh and Manali-Chandertal Lake- Kaza and Kibber, world’s highest village in the cold desert of Spiti.

“We spent two months in Leh-Ladakh-Lahaul-Manali and Manikaran, said a tourist couple from France . “We are not aware about the flood threat in the Sutlej. We will visit Riwalsar and Barot tomorrow and go back to Delhi thereafter”.

Mr Khemraj Thakur, who runs Mountain Expeditions, a trekking agency at Manali said, “Over 70 -80 foreigners are coming to Manali everyday from the Delhi-Chandigarh route”.

Trekking agents say tourists are coming rebounding from Shimla-Kinnaur as they are not being allowed to go beyond Shimla fearing flood in the Sutlej. Most of the tourists, come from Europe, mainly France, Germany, Belgium including Israel.

I will go to Manali after visiting the Riwalsar monastery in Mandi and want to go on the Leh circuit, said Mr Yoav, a tourist from Israel.



Flood threat puts off foreign tourists

Tribune News Service

Shimla, August 16
The flood scare caused by the formation of a lake in Tibet due to blockage of Parchu, a tributary of the Sutlej, has affected the flow of foreign tourists to the state.

The foreign tourists mainly visit the tribal areas of Kinnaur and Lahaul-Spiti and ironically, these are the two areas which are facing the flood threat.

This season most of the bookings have been cancelled and some tourists have changed their plans after arriving in the country. Even the travel agents are not keen on the tribal areas due to the prevailing uncertainty. Taxi and bus operators are also refusing to send their vehicles to these interior areas in view of the flood threat.

Over the past few years a number of hotels had come up in these tourist hot spots. But they are still awaiting the arrival of tourists in substantial numbers.





Enough supplies for areas facing flood threat, says minister

Rampur, August 16
With the areas along the banks of the Sutlej and the Spiti on high alert against threats of flash floods, the Himachal Pradesh Government today said it had enough ration supplies to last for months in the event of some places being cut off from the rest of the state.

“Even though we are optimistic that the flash floods may not occur, at our end we are prepared for the worst. The administration has already made arrangements to ensure that there are enough stocks to last if some places are cut off as a result of flash floods,” state Food and Supplies Minister Shingee Ram said.

Many places in Shimla, Kinnaur, Bilaspur and Kulu districts are facing threats of flash floods in the wake of reports of a Tibetan lake, formed following landslides, likely to burst.

Mr Ram said Kinnaur district alone had 2,144 quintal sugar stock, 3,464 quintal wheat, 1,117 quintal wheat flour, 10,622 quintal rice and 11,609 liters of edible oil.

These areas had enough kerosene, petrol and LPG stocks, he said.

State Tourism Minister G.S. Bali said the flash flood threat had had only a “little effect” on the tourist inflow in the state as during rainy season the traffic is low.

There has been a slight decrease only in Solang Valley and Rampur, he said.

Asked about the difficulties being faced by the apple growers in view of the truckers avoiding the areas, Mr Bali said, “We are providing as many trucks as are required to lift the crop and there is nothing much to worry”. — PTI

[AndreasW]

Take up joint inspection of lake with China, HP to Centre

Rakesh Lohumi
Tribune News Service

Shimla, August 17
The Himachal Pradesh Government has urged the Government of India to once again take up the matter with the Chinese authorities for a joint inspection of the lake formed in Tibet due to blockage of Parchu, a tributary of the Sutlej, by the experts of the two countries even as the latest satellite images indicate that the water body was gradually stabilising and the threat of a flash flood was receding.

The satellite images taken yesterday show a steady overflow from the lake and there has been no discernible increase in the surface area of 193 hectare of the lake since August 12. This could happen only if the inflow matches the outflow. Further, there has also been no alarming erosion from the top, which indicated that the barrier was strong.

The Chinese authorities have also informed that the blockade material comprised limestone and dolomite rocks. The average rainfall in the area was 200 mm and the geological instability of the hills could have triggered off the landslides.

The flash-flood threat is gradually receding as the satellite images and the data given by the Chinese authorities indicate that the water body was stabilising and that there was little possibility of the blockade giving way suddenly. Mr H.K. Sharma, director (civil) of the Sutlej Jal Vidyut Nigam , says that earthen and rock-filled dams fail only when erosion starts from the top after overflow. The lake has been overflowing for the past more than four days and there has been no abrupt rise in the discharge of the river to suggest erosion at the top. As such, the possibility of dam failure is receding with each passing day.

The Sutlej Jal Vidyut Nigam restarted four of its six 250 MW units of the Nathpa-Jhakri project today.

However, the state government feels that the exact status of the water body and the risk of the blockade giving way could be assessed only by carrying out a joint inspection. While appreciating the Chinese authorities for giving vital information about the lake, it maintains that to end the prevailing uncertainty, spot inspection is essential.

More so, because the exact depth of the lake was not known. The government agencies had worked out the depth to be 40 m by superimposing the satellite images on the contour maps.

The Chinese authorities had given different figures ranging from the initial figure of 15 m to 71 m over the past fortnight. However, in reply to the specific queries posed by the Government of India, they have informed that the area was not submerged under water before the blockade, indicating that no lake existed earlier at the site.

The bed of the lake was 3790 m from the mean sea level and the top surface 3860 m, which means that the depth was 70 m.

In the situation, the government has no option but to wait and watch. The crisis management group at its daily meeting decided to maintain the high alert for the next three days.

[AndreasW]

Parchu threat: govt to continue with high alert

Rakesh Lohumi
Tribune News Service

Shimla, August 19
The government today decided to continue with the high alert sounded in the wake of the lake formed in Tibet due to blockage of Parchu, a tributary of Sutlej, as the exercise to work out the depth of the water body on the basis of various satellite images could not be completed.

The Survey of India had been assigned the task following conflicting opinion of experts regarding the depth of the lake. Its technical experts in Dehra Dun were busy anaylsing the satellite imageries to calculate the exact depth so that quantum of accumulated water could be assessed for evaluating the likely impact of floods in a case of breach of blockade. Once the correct depth of water body is calculated, the engineers of the Central Water Commission will work out possible flash flood scenario in case the blockade gives way suddenly. The maximum flood level at various points downstream, thus worked out, will enable the government to decide whether or not to scale down the high alert. The Union Cabinet secretary will convene a meeting tomorrow to take stock of the situation if the report of the Survey of India is available.

There has been no change in the status of the lake and its surface area has not increased since August 12. However, the satellite imageries taken yesterday reveal that overflow was becoming conspicuous and water could be seen flowing over the rocks blocking the river. The experts are sure that the outflow is matching the inflow if not exceeding it, a definite indication of the water body gradually stabilising. The water level will start declining as and when the inflow declines due to slowdown in melting of glaciers over the next two weeks.

The government had also received information from the local people who have been in touch from their Chinese counterparts that the slope of the lake bed was very mild and the accumulated water was not exerting much pressure on the blockade. But they were not certain about the depth of the lake.

Meanwhile, the government has sought financial assistance from the Centre to the tune of Rs 38.70 crore on account of precautionary measure taken by it to deal with the flood threat and the loss of lives and property due to flash floods caused by cloudbursts at various places. It includes Rs 21 crore due to loss of property and Rs 16 crore on account of loss of generation in the Nathpa Jhakri power project which was shut down in the wake of flood threat.

Mr Virbhadra Singh, Chief Minister, who is leaving for Delhi tomorrow, will take up the matter with the Centre.


So, ich melde mich hier bis Ende September ab und werde mir nächste Woche die Situation in Kinnaur vor Ort selbst anschauen. Drückt mir alle Daumen!
Wen die weitere Entwicklung interessiert, der muß halt selbst bei "Tribune India" ¤*#http://www.tribuneindia.com
mitlesen...

Gruß AndreasW

[Andreas]

Andreas, ich wünsche viel Freude, eine wunderbare Reise mit vielen Eindrücken und natürlich keine Flut!

Wir 'erwarten' dann natürlich einen kleinen Bericht ;)

Bis dann,
Andreas

[AndreasW]

So, einen hab' ich noch...
Jetzt mache ich mich aber auf den Weg. - Ich gehöre also zu den 20% die nicht canceln!

Andreas, danke für die guten Wünsche! Ich denke, daß ich Ende September etwas berichten und paar aktuelle Bilder in die Galerie stellen kann...

Gruß AndreasW

Scare of flood in Sutlej hits tourism

Pratibha Chauhan
Tribune News Service

Shimla, August 20
The threat of a catastrophic flood in the Sutlej has severely affected the foreign tourist season in Himachal Pradesh, as almost 80 per cent last-minute cancellations have been made by those keen to visit the Buddhist sector in the tribal districts of Kinnaur and Lahaul-Spiti.

The timing of the flood threat due to formation of the Parchu Lake in Tibet, which could be devastating for some of the portions in Kinnuar, has unfortunately coincided with the foreign tourist season which is from July to September. During the past few years there has been an increase in the number of foreigners keen to visit the ancient Tabo and Key monasteries in Lahaul-Spiti and the Pin and Sangla valleys in Kinnaur and Spiti.

“As soon as the foreigners got to know about the flood scare looming large over Rampur and other areas, they cancelled their trip or made changes in their itinerary by flying straight to Leh from Delhi,” informed Mr Rajkumar, owner of a travel agency. He said since the various embassies in Delhi had directed their nationals not to travel to Himachal Pradesh, there were 80 per cent cancellations.

He adds that they had got good bookings right uptil September from Germany, France and England but the moment the media hype about the flood scare reached them they cancelled their trips. The same is the plight of hoteliers and others associated with the tourism industry. A majority of the foreigners prefer to travel from Shimla to Sangla in Kinnaur and beyond into Lahaul-Spiti and Leh from where they fly back to Delhi

“Even though Manali will remain unaffected in case of a flood in the Sutlej, the uncertainty and confusion about the Parchu lake has hit us also,” said Mr Rupu Negi, a Manali-based travel agent. The hoteliers and travel agents in Manali rue that till date the Tourism Department has not made any effort to convey the right picture.

The frequent flash floods damaged roads have also affected tourism. With almost 500 metres of road being washed off at Mulling nullah, near Nako, which is the last village in Kinnaur, a lot of problem is being faced. “Though we are managing with the help of trans-shipment but not every foreigner is willing to pay those extra bucks as cab owners charge exorbitantly,” says Mr Anil Shakya, another travel agent, who conducts safaris and treks, mainly to the Buddhist sector in Himachal and Ladakh.

[AndreasW]

Hallo miteinander,

bin seit Sonntag wieder im Lande - naja, nennen wir es mal "physisch anwesend"! Das "Ankommen" wird wohl noch ein Weilchen dauern...

Nach all dem, was mir vorher Sorgen gemacht hat, kann ich sagen, daß ich noch nie den Sutlej so "zahm" erlebt habe. - Kaum Wasser! Kinnaur hat dieses Jahr vom Monsun nur sehr wenig abbekommen und die Gletscher waren auch in einem kastrophalen Zustand. Nun hofft man dort auf einen schneereichen Winter.

Der "Tibet Lake" wird wohl erst zur nächsten Schneeschmelze wieder ein Problem...

Dafür hatten wir 4 Wochen herrlichstes Bergwetter ohne Regen! - Am Charang Pass grenzenlose Fernsicht!

Schade für alle, die es sich nicht getraut haben nach Kinnaur zu reisen. Es waren wirklich sehr wenige Ausländer unterwegs. Das hat zwar auch was für sich, aber man war dieses Jahr mal wieder der Meinung, daß für diesen Treck ein Innerline Permit notwendig ist (Kontrolle am Shurting Checkpoint). Es war nicht einfach, weitere 2 Reisepässe aufzutreiben, um das Permit beantragen zu können. Nach 4 Tagen in Reckong Peo klappte es aber dann doch noch...

Bilder folgen später...

Grüße AndreasW

[Andreas]

Gut, dass du heil wieder zurück bist.
Freue mich schon auf Bilder und einen kleinen Bericht ;D

Andreas

[phacops]

Schließe mich unserm webmaster vorbehaltslos an!

Und bewahre dir möglichst lange das "noch-ein-Stück-dort-Sein" ! ;)

phacops

[AndreasW]

@Andreas & phacops,

DANKE für die Willkommenswünsche! Tja, die Gedanken sind schon oft noch woanders....

Mit den Bildern dauert es aber noch ein bischen. Meine Filme liegen bis jetzt nur als entwickelte "Meterware" vor. Da wartet noch einiges an Archivarbeit auf mich!

Grüße AndreasW

[Andreas]

> Meterware?
Fotografierst du nicht mit handelsüblichen Filmen? Hast du Filmrollen? Mittelformat etwa gar?
Das würde mich interessieren!

btw, gratuliere zum 2. Stern ;D
Ich hoffe du bleibst uns als unangefochtener Kinnaurexperte auch in Zukunft erhalten! :D

Andreas

[AndreasW]

> Meterware?
Fotografierst du nicht mit handelsüblichen Filmen? Hast du Filmrollen? Mittelformat etwa gar?
Das würde mich interessieren!

Nee, das sind ganz normale Diafilme, die per Hängeentwicklung in einem Kodak Q-Lab entwickelt wurden. Das ergibt pro Film einen reichlichen Meter....

btw, gratuliere zum 2. Stern ¤*# ;D
Ich hoffe du bleibst uns als unangefochtener Kinnaurexperte auch in Zukunft erhalten! :D

Andreas

Klar, mache ich doch gerne! Muß ja schließlich hier überwintern! Nur scheint es hier nicht viele Himachal Reisende zu geben, oder? Die treiben sich ja alle lieber in Ladakh rum...

Die ersten Bilder gibt es hier:

http://www.weltbilder.cc/details.php?image_id=1560
http://www.weltbilder.cc/details.php?image_id=1561
http://www.weltbilder.cc/details.php?image_id=1562

Gruß AndreasW

[thanatos]

Sehr schöne Bilder ;D

[phacops]

Nur scheint es hier nicht viele Himachal Reisende zu geben, oder? Die treiben sich ja alle lieber in Ladakh rum...


Mit solchen Bildern und einigen Berichten mehr wächst der Appetit auf Himachal und die Zahl der Reisenden dorthin.
Ich denke , das war mit Ladakh auch so.

Vielleicht können wir mal nen thread starten, wer sich durchs Forum zu welchen Treks hat inspirieren lassen?

phacops

[AndreasW]

Nun ist die Katastrophe wohl doch passiert!!!

Erste Infos hier:
http://www.indiamike.com/india/showthread.php?p=112960#post112960

Für mich ist der Sonntag "gelaufen"... http://trekkingforum.com/forum/images/smilies/sad.gif
Ich versuche weitere Infos zu bekommen und halte euch auf dem Laufenden!

http://www.hindustantimes.com/on/img/0.gifHindustanTimes.com (http://www.hindustantimes.com/news/124_0,0000.htm) » States (http://www.hindustantimes.com/news/681_0,0009.htm) » Himachal Pradesh (http://www.hindustantimes.com/news/7170_0,000900010005.htm) » Storyhttp://www.hindustantimes.com/on/img/0.gifhttp://www.hindustantimes.com/on/img/0.gif

Tibetan lake sparks panic in Himachal Pradesh
http://www.hindustantimes.com/on/img/0.gif
Indo-Asian News Service
http://www.hindustantimes.com/on/img/0.gif
Shimla, June 26, 2005

Himachal Pradesh officials on Sunday asked people in Kinnaur region living close to a river to vacate their homes after water level rose alarmingly, possibly after artificial lake upstream in Tibet burst.

"This morning we observed a rise of 40-50 feet in a tributary of the Sutlej at Sumdo, 400 kilometre north of here. In all likelihood the Parechu Lake in Tibet has been breached," said Amandeep Garg, the district commissioner of Kinnaur.

"We are taking no chances and have asked people to vacate their homes in places close to the river banks. [mehr] (http://www.hindustantimes.com/news/181_1411971,000900010005.htm)


AndreasW

[AndreasW]

NEWS von "The Tribune":

Flash floods in Sutlej
(http://www.tribuneindia.com/2005/20050627/main2.htm)Bridges washed away; thousands evacuated
Shimla, June 26
People living along the banks of the Sutlej survived yet another nightmare as flash floods caused by excessive melting of glaciers passed through a 200 km stretch of the river from Sumdoh to Sunni without causing any loss of human life.
http://www.tribuneindia.com/2005/images/browdot.gif Himachal page: Swelling Sutlej creates panic
(http://www.tribuneindia.com/2005/20050627/himachal.htm#1)http://www.tribuneindia.com/2005/images/browdot.gif Flood loss may run into billions (http://www.tribuneindia.com/2005/20050627/himachal.htm#2)
http://www.tribuneindia.com/2005/images/browdot.gif Nation page: Safety measures in place, says Centre
(http://www.tribuneindia.com/2005/20050627/nation.htm#12)Google NEWS: http://news.google.co.in/?ncl=http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/articleshow/1152914.cms&hl=en

[AndreasW]

Weitere NEWS:
Flood threat ends in HP, 6 Chinese dead, 500 tourists stranded
June 27, 2005 19:20:00

.SHIMLA DEL62http://www.ptinews.com/icons/ecblank.gifhttp://www.ptinews.com/icons/ecblank.gifShimla, Jun 27 (PTI) The threat of flash flood to Himachal Pradesh from a breach in an artificial lake in Tibet completely receded today with the water levels in swollen Sutlej river and its tributary Parechhu dropping substantially after which thousands of evacuated villagers returned home.
The burst in the artificial lake in Tibet, which feeds Parechhu, killed six Chinese nationals whose bodies were washed down and were seen floating in Sutlej near Sumdoh, six km from the international border, in Kinnaur district of the state.
Quelle:
http://www.ptinews.com/pti%5Cptisite.nsf/0/47914321837945F46525702D004D4ADE?OpenDocument
Parechhu nightmare over, life returning to normal in HP

Press Trust of India (http://www.expressindia.com/about/feedback.html?url=http://www.expressindia.com/fullstory.php?newsid=49583&title=Parechhu%20nightmare%20over,%20life%20return ing%20to%20normal%20in%20HP)
Posted online: Monday, June 27, 2005 at 1630 hours IST

Shimla, June 27: With the Parechhu nightmare subsiding, the situation in flash floods hit Shimla and Kinnaur districts of Himachal Pradesh limped back to normal on Monday even as relief and restoration works were on in full swing in the inundated areas.
http://www.expressindia.com/fullstory.php?newsid=49583

[AndreasW]

weitere NEWS (Quelle: The Tribune)

Hindustan-Tibet road washed away at several places
(http://www.tribuneindia.com/2005/20050628/main1.htm)
Rampur, June 27

An unprecedented rise in temperatures — reaching upto 33 degrees in this area — seems to have caused the ice caps in this remote Himalayan region to melt thus rapidly bringing down torrents of water causing devastation in these areas in the last 24 hours.

http://www.tribuneindia.com/2005/images/browdot.gif 6 bodies spotted in Sutlej
(http://www.tribuneindia.com/2005/20050628/main1.htm#2)http://www.tribuneindia.com/2005/images/browdot.gif 250 passengers stranded, bad weather hits rescue
(http://www.tribuneindia.com/2005/20050628/main1.htm#3)http://www.tribuneindia.com/2005/images/browdot.gif Editorial: Flood fury
(http://www.tribuneindia.com/2005/20050628/edit.htm#2)
http://www.tribuneindia.com/2005/graphics/video.gif In video: Flood washes away 70 houses in Kullu. (28k (http://www.tribuneindia.com/2005/20050628/jun27icev1-28k.ram), 56k (http://www.tribuneindia.com/2005/20050628/jun27icev1-56k.ram))


http://www.tribuneindia.com/2005/20050628/ind3.jpghttp://www.tribuneindia.com/2005/images/browdot.gif
The devastation caused by the swirling Sutlej at Nogli village, near Rampur, on the Hindustan-Tibet road. — Tribune photo by Manoj Mahajan

Himachal page: National Crisis Management Group to meet today (http://www.tribuneindia.com/2005/20050628/himachal.htm#1)
(http://www.tribuneindia.com/2005/20050628/himachal.htm#1)http://www.tribuneindia.com/2005/images/browdot.gif Restoring HP road links may take time (http://www.tribuneindia.com/2005/20050628/himachal.htm#2)
http://www.tribuneindia.com/2005/images/browdot.gif Punjab page: Sutlej overflow: DC holds meeting (http://www.tribuneindia.com/2005/20050628/punjab1.htm#3)

It was Parechu breach; threat subsides
(http://www.tribuneindia.com/2005/20050628/main2.htm)
Shimla, June 27

The flood threat due to the Parechu lake in Tibet, which kept the people living along the banks of the Sutlej on tenterhooks for the past over a year, seems to have subsided.

Parechu exposes flaws in disaster management
(http://www.tribuneindia.com/2005/20050628/main3.htm)
New Delhi, June 27

Flash floods in Parechu river has exposed the flaws in the disaster management system prevalent along the river course and the Himachal Pradesh Government is only thanking its stars as the damage would have been collossal had the flooding taken place during night.

"The Times of India"
Pareechhu: The worst is over

SHIMLA/NEW DELHI: The dam on the Pareechhu is no more.

Satellite images from the National Remote Sensing Agency (NRSA) showed on Monday that the flash floods which washed away scores of homes and several bridges in Himachal Pradesh were triggered by the bursting of the dam.

The natural dam had formed on the river after heavy landslides on June 28 last year, blocking off the outlets and cradling enormous amounts of water in its womb.

That should ease the nation's fears as there were widespread apprehensions on the extent of damage the dam would cause, especially in the low-lying areas along the banks of the Spiti and Sutlej, if it ever got breached. [mehr] (http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/1154060.cms)


Nach längerem "googeln", habe ich endlich ein Satelitenbild gefunden, allerdings vom letzten Jahr. Hier kann man auch größere Bilder downloaden: (2,9 Mb) http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/Archive/Sep2004/aster_pareechu_01sep04_15m.jpg

Quelle: NASA (http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Newsroom/NewImages/images.php3?img_id=16648)
Rock and mud piled over a river in Tibet could spell disaster for communities 35 kilometers downstream in northern India. In early summer, a landslide in the Zaskar Mountains, a range of the Himalayas, blocked the Pareechu River in its course from the Tibet Autonomous Region of China to the Himachal Pradesh State of northern India. The water is slowly building behind the natural dam, creating an artificial lake in the remote mountain region. By August 13, the lake had spread over 188 hectares and had reached a depth of 35 meters, with water levels rising daily. Indian and Chinese officials fear that the unstable dam will burst, releasing a torrent of water on populated regions of northern India. The remoteness of the region and the ruggedness of the terrain have precluded preventative measures that the Chinese government might otherwise undertake to control the release of the water. [mehr] (http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Newsroom/NewImages/images.php3?img_id=16648)

http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Newsroom/NewImages/Images/aster_pareechu_15jul04jpg.jpg
http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/Archive/Sep2004/aster_pareechu_01sep04.jpg

Water levels in the Pareechu River in Tibet continue to build behind a natural dam, created by a landslide in the early summer. mehr (http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/natural_hazards_v2.php3?img_id=12390)

Pareechu: A disaster ignored at public cost

Arun D. Ahluwalia (http://www.expressindia.com/about/feedback.html)
Chandigarh, June 27:

THE disaster came as expected without warning. One year was not enough for us to manage Parechu. We do not even know if it was Parechu or some hidden lake elsewhere in the Parechu catchment. It looks satellite pictures will come later. Chinese too will tell us later. What a dismal failure of our science and technology as well as diplomatic communications! On December 16 last year, in a meeting of experts at Home Ministry in New Delhi, I had said squarely that we needed to raise level of our diplomatic request and be very candid in telling the Chinese that we wanted demolition forever of the landslide dam across Parechu at Karak in Tibetan territory. How difficult it was to even convince one soul out of the many ‘‘bigwigs’’ over there, that we were up against an ever existing lake which had not got dammed, for the first or the last time. Mehr: http://cities.expressindia.com/fullstory.php?newsid=136667

[phacops]

Hallo Andreas,


Danke! daß du uns auf dem Laufenden hälst!

Das sind wirkliche Naturgewalten! Und eine Katastrophe für die lokale Bevölkerung.

Inwieweit werden deine Pläne tangiert?

phacops

[AndreasW]

Hallo Andreas,


Danke! daß du uns auf dem Laufenden hälst!

Das sind wirkliche Naturgewalten! Und eine Katastrophe für die lokale Bevölkerung.

Inwieweit werden deine Pläne tangiert?

phacopsDanke der Nachfrage! - Klar, sind meine Pläne tangiert! Am Wochenende war ich noch ziemlich deprimiert, aber "Internet sei Dank" ist man ja gut informiert und froh, daß alles relativ glimpflich abgelaufen ist. Wenn ich mir die Satellitenbilder anschaue und mir vorstelle, was mir schon letztes Jahr hätte um die "Ohren fliegen" können... - Puhhh!!!

Ich fliege auf jedem Fall am 12. August für 4 Wochen nach Indien und setze auf die Vitalität und das Improvisationstalent der Kinnaurese mit solchen Situationen umzugehen! - Das Leben geht weiter! Darüber "eine Geschichte" zu machen, reizt mich aber ungemein. Ich habe eh kein größeres Trekking vor, sondern suche nach Bildern und Geschichten bei den Dörflern. Ob ich es bis zum Kinner Kailash, Sangla- und Taiti Valley und die Region um Pooh schaffe, steht natürlich heute noch "in den Sternen"! Der gerade "anrollende" Monsun birgt natürlich noch einige Fragezeichen mehr... Planen is' also nicht!

Als erstes werde ich meine Freunde im Kullutal besuchen und mit 'nem gemieteten Jeep versuchen, über Aut - Tirthan Valley - Gushaini (Raju's Cottage/Übernachtung) - Jalori Pass - Ani - auf haarsträubender Piste nach Baghipul / Nirmand - Sutlej-Brücke??? - kurz auf dem NH 22 nach Rampur - kurz nach Rampur wieder rechts ab auf spektakulärer Nebenstraße über Gaura - Daranghati - Kinnu - Sarahan von "hinten" zu erreichen... Dann hätte man die Möglichkeit auf der "Romance of Hindustan-Tibet-Road" hoch über den Sutlej nach Kinnaur zu wandern...

"Keep your fingers crossed for me!"

AndreasW

[AndreasW]

NEWS: "The Tribune"


http://www.tribuneindia.com/2005/20050629/ind.jpg
The road from Rekong Peo to Kaurik is blocked by a landslide at Pauri village in Kinnaur district on Tuesday. — Tribune photo by Manoj Mahajan

Stranded tourists airlifted (http://www.tribuneindia.com/2005/20050629/main3.htm)

Rekong Peo (Kinnaur), June 28

Victims of the Sutlej fury Anne and her friend Isabella, had being waiting for 48 hours to be airlifted out of this place located 250 km from Shimla. Their wait ended this afternoon when the two women along with 15 other foreigners were “rescued” by helicopters.

Bhakra filling up
(http://www.tribuneindia.com/2005/20050629/main3.htm#2)http://www.tribuneindia.com/2005/images/browdot.gifHimachal page: Flood hit state’s lifeline
(http://www.tribuneindia.com/2005/20050629/himachal.htm#1)http://www.tribuneindia.com/2005/images/browdot.gifAll tourists safe in Himachal
(http://www.tribuneindia.com/2005/20050629/himachal.htm#2)http://www.tribuneindia.com/2005/images/browdot.gifFlood fury kept residents awake
(http://www.tribuneindia.com/2005/20050629/himachal.htm#3)http://www.tribuneindia.com/2005/images/browdot.gifSonia to visit flood-hit areas today
(http://www.tribuneindia.com/2005/20050629/himachal.htm#4)http://www.tribuneindia.com/2005/images/browdot.gif46 tourists evacuated from Kinnaur (http://www.tribuneindia.com/2005/20050629/himachal.htm#5)

China promises ‘all help’ on Parechu crisis (http://www.tribuneindia.com/2005/20050629/main4.htm)
New Delhi, June 28
History seems to be repeating itself within one year as China has promised “all help” on the crisis posed in Himachal Pradesh by floods in the Parechu river but no information has trickled in yet from Beijing.

LPG to be sent on mules (http://www.tribuneindia.com/2005/20050629/main5.htm)
Rekong Peo, June 28
Apart from saving people and their property from any further damage from a raging Sutlej, it is the logistics of meeting the daily requirements of people that is the proverbial “mountainous task”.

[AndreasW]

Es schaut so aus, als wäre die Straße bis Wangtu noch oder wieder befahrbar?


Trudging miles to reach their destination
Ajay Banerjee
Tribune News Service



Karchham (Kinnaur), June 29
Ever since the Sutlej fury cut off key road links, it has been a “walkathon” for residents of this remote region of Himachal Pradesh. They are trudging miles on foot to reach their destinations. They are either in groups or in pairs with luggage in their hands and very little water to drink.

The only solace is that these walkers can sit down whenever they want to. Unlike the real walkathon, no medals are to be won and the “event” is not televised live. The only motivation for these beleaguered walkers is to reach home or finish their urgent assignment.

Chopper rescue missions are giving preference to tourists and for carrying relief material. The local residents have either found shortcuts through these high mountains or are just following the Hindustan-Tibet road and crossing over through kutcha paths where the highway has been washed away. It is the sheer grit of these people as some of them have been walking for the past two days to reach their destination.

The Tribune team met a group of people at Karcham, located 190 km from Shimla. They were six-seven of them who had walked for more than eight hours from Rekong Peo- about 60 km from Karcham.

Luggage in hand a tired looking Rajendra Negi said:” Saab hum aur kucch nahin kar sakte the chalna hee eek option tha.” (Sir, we did not have any other option than walking). It was 3 pm when we spoke to this weary group. At the same time, ironically, a chopper passed overhead, probably on a rescue mission.

Another member of the same group, Hitesh Kumar, said they had started from Rekong Peo at the crack of dawn. He lives in Shimla and knew that a ride on a chopper may not materialise. Thankfully the impressive Himalayas here have a bounty of natural streams which provide chilled drinking water. The destination for Negi’s motley At Karcham the group had another 8 km to walk before they could reach a place called Wangtoo from where the road to Shimla is motorable.

Just outside Wangtoo where the road breach ends, taxi operators have stationed themselves charging Rs 30 per person to drive to a distance of 2 km from where state transport buses are operating till Rampur Bushahr or Shimla.

http://www.tribuneindia.com/2005/20050630/main4.htmWenn diese Geschichte stimmt, wäre zumindest der Trek von Kinnaur über den Pin Bhaba Pass nach Spiti mit Mühen wieder erreichbar... http://trekkingforum.com/forum/images/smilies/smile.gif

AndreasW

[phacops]

Die Hochwässer an Spiti und Sutlej sind vor allem durch den gebrochenen landslide vom letzten Jahr verursacht. Aber dazu haben meines Erachtens sehr große Schmelzwassermengen nach den starken Schneefällen des letzten Winters und der Hitzewelle der letzten Wochen maßgeblich beigetragen.


Enorme Fluten gibt es derzeit auch in Pakistan, zB im Swat valley und auch Ghizer valley.

Bericht zB: DAWN 29.06.2005: Flood situation remains grim http://www.dawn.com/2005/06/29/top3.htm (http://www.dawn.com/2005/06/29/top3.htm)

Flood situation remains grim:
PESHAWAR, June 28: The overall flood situation in three districts of the NWFP remained grim with the Kabul and Swat rivers registering a further rise in their levels. Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz visited the affected areas on Tuesday and announced a Rs100-million relief and rehabilitation package. He directed the authorities concerned to work out a comprehensive plan for rehabilitating the people devastated by the flood in the districts of Nowshera, Charsadda and Peshawar.

According to the NWFP Flood Relief Commission, some 120 houses have been damaged in Charsadda district and the flood has engulfed wider areas.

A hydrologist at the provincial flood warning centre said that the level of River Kabul was rising at Nowshera where a discharge of 151,000 cusecs was recorded at 5pm on Tuesday.

"This is very unusual and any further rise in water levels of River Kabul and River Swat can cause widespread devastation," he said.

The army, meanwhile, expedited its rescue operation in the worst-affected areas of the three districts and evacuated another 460 families, the Inter Services Public Relations said in a press release. The army’s engineers and medical corps have also been mobilized for rescue and relief work and the medical corps has set up camps at various places.

According to reports received here, hundreds of thousands of people, including Afghan refugees, were in need of food and drinking water. Sources of potable water have been badly affected. There is also an acute shortage of fodder for the livestock.


Ich vermute, daß aufgrund der Schneefälle des Winters und der Hitzewelle auch viele andere Flüsse, auch in Ladakh und Zanskar zur Zeit starke Hochwasser führen und Treks möglicherweise dadurch gefährdet sein können.

Berichte von vor Ort sind dringend erwünscht.

phacops

PS: @AndreasW als Mod: meiner technischen Minderbegabung ist es zuzuschreiben, daß hier mit Großschrift geschrien wird. Kannst du´s bitte ändern? Ansonsten bitte ich um Nachsicht

[AndreasW]

Die Hochwässer an Spiti und Sutlej sind vor allem durch den gebrochenen landslide vom letzten Jahr verursacht. Aber dazu haben meines Erachtens sehr große Schmelzwassermengen nach den starken Schneefällen des letzten Winters und der Hitzewelle der letzten Wochen maßgeblich beigetragen.

Ich vermute, daß aufgrund der Schneefälle des Winters und der Hitzewelle auch viele andere Flüsse, auch in Ladakh und Zanskar zur Zeit starke Hochwasser führen und Treks möglicherweise dadurch gefährdet sein können.

Berichte von vor Ort sind dringend erwünscht.

phacops

So ist es...

Auch in Ladakh gab's gestern "Flash floods"...

Flash floods in Leh; bridges washed away

June 29, 2005 15:22 IST


Eighteen foot-bridges were washed away and four suspension bridges developed cracks due to flash floods in Leh district of Ladakh on Wednesday.

The flash floods were spawned by an unprecedented rise in temperatures that led to melting of ice in the upper reaches.

The rise in the mercury from 24 to 35 degrees Celsius in the past week has led to melting of the glacier in the upper reaches of the Ladakh region of Jammu and Kashmir resulting in the flooding of streams and canals in the district, Leh Development Commissioner Satish Nehru told PTI.

Reports from Doda district said a footbridge, huts and cattle sheds were submerged at Bagliar project in Ramban area due to the rising of waters in the Chenab.

http://in.rediff.com/news/2005/jun/29flood.htm
GOOGLE NEWS-Ladakh Flood (http://news.google.co.in/news?hl=en&ie=UTF-8&scoring=d&q=ladakh+flood&btnG=Search+News)

Diese Situation hält sicher noch eine Weile an! Ich würde mich auch über Berichte von vor Ort freuen. - Vielleicht hat ja jemand einen Hubschrauberflug durch's Sutlejtal "genießen" dürfen... http://trekkingforum.com/forum/images/smilies/wink.gif (... ihr wißt, wie's gemeint ist!) - Ich werde auch weiter die NEWS für euch sichten! - Danke!!!

AndreasW

[Moni]

Nun, einen direkten Erfahrungsbericht kann ich nicht beisteuern, aber ein Freund ist gestern aus der Region zurückgekehrt. Er war in Kinnaur und Spiti, die Flut hat er gerade nicht mehr mitbekommen. Er hat erzählt, dass sie letzte Woche, von Spiti her kommend, fast nicht über den Kunzum La gelangt sind. In Batal war fertig, er musste bis nach Chatru laufen, da die Strasse in sehr schlechtem Zustand seie und noch viele Schneelawinen (?) die Strasse versperren. Von dort her gings mit dem Jeep bis an den Fuss vom Rothang, die Jeepfahrer verlangen aber sehr hohe Preise für jediglichen Transport. Wenn die Temperatur auch im Chandra Valley so angestiegen ist wie in Leh, dürften die Schneereste davonschmelzen und dem Chandra dementsprechend Wasser bringen.
Falls er noch mehr interessante Infos hat, werde ich die hier posten.

Moni

[AndreasW]

NEWS: "The Tribune"

Risking lives to repair roads, bridges
(http://www.tribuneindia.com/2005/20050701/main3.htm)
Wangtoo (Kinnaur), June 30

Even as everyone here seems busy talking about the flood which has left a trail of destruction, an army of workers is quietly restoring power supply, water supply lines and also restarting work on building bridges.

http://www.tribuneindia.com/2005/20050701/ind2.jpg
Men at work perched precariously on a new bridge across the Sutlej at Wangtoo in Kinnaur district on Thursday. — Tribune photo by Manoj Mahajan
http://www.tribuneindia.com/2005/images/browdot.gif

Himachal page:151 evacuated from Kinnaur
(http://www.tribuneindia.com/2005/20050701/himachal.htm#1)http://www.tribuneindia.com/2005/images/browdot.gifCentral team visits flood-hit areas (http://www.tribuneindia.com/2005/20050701/himachal.htm#3)

[AndreasW]

NEWS: "The Tribune"

Living dangerously close to Sutlej (http://www.tribuneindia.com/2005/20050702/main7.htm)
Rampur Bushahr (Shimla District), July 1

It is a lesson people living along the Sutlej did not learn and they have paid the price for it.

http://www.tribuneindia.com/2005/20050702/ind.jpgHouses constructed dangerously close to the Sutlej at Rampur Bushahr and its surrounding areas. — Tribune photo by Manoj Mahajan


Live may return to old Hindustan-Tibet road (http://www.tribuneindia.com/2005/20050702/himachal.htm#1)

Shimla, July 1

With devastating flash-floods in the Sutlej becoming a regular feature the state government is planning to revive the old Hindustan-Tibet road as part of its long-term strategy to prevent the tribal areas of Kinnaur and Spiti from being cut-off in an eventuality.

The existing national highway (NH-22), which provides the only road link to these areas, is highly prone to damage due to floods. It runs dangerously close to the river at places and criss-crosses it six times between Wangtu and Khab. Its vulnerability was exposed during the August 2000 floods when 18 small big bridges on the river and vast stretches of road totalling about 20 km were washed away. Consequently, large parts of the tribal belt remained cut off for almost a year.

The latest flood due to the breaching of the Parechu lake in Tibet has again washed away as many as eight important bridges and wiped out a vast stretch of road. The disaster has underlined the need for constructing an alternative road, particularly for the 100 km stretch from Wangtu to Khab.There is very little population along the banks of the river. The main concern is the highway. It crosses the Sutlej after every few kilometres with bridges at Wangtu, Karcham, Shong Tong, Riba , Khadra and Khab, all of which were wiped out in the August 2000 floods. This time the bridges at Karcham, Akpa, Khab, Leo, Shalkar, Jagatkhana and Wazir Bowli have collapsed.

The government has now decided to revive the old Hindustan-Tibet road on priority with slight realignment as an alternative road, which would not only avoid crossing the river so many times but also help link some major villages. The road will bifurcate from the existing highway after the Wangtu bridge and pass through Karcham, Peo, Pangi, Thopan ,Rarang and Kirang Khad on the right bank before rejoining it. The 40 km new road will be aligned along the old Hindustan-Tibet Road. [mehr] (http://www.tribuneindia.com/2005/20050702/himachal.htm#1)
http://www.tribuneindia.com/2005/images/browdot.gif

Landslides in Shimla (http://www.tribuneindia.com/2005/20050702/main7.htm#2)

http://www.tribuneindia.com/2005/images/browdot.gif

Himachal page: Central team to give report on floods in 4 days (http://www.tribuneindia.com/2005/20050702/himachal.htm#2)

[AndreasW]

NEWS: "The Tribune"


40 foreign tourists still stranded in Kinnaur (http://www.tribuneindia.com/2005/20050703/himachal.htm#2)
Shimla, July 2

In one of the major rescue operations in difficult mountain terrain, the choppers of the Indian Air Force made 120 sorties to evacuate over 850 persons, including Indian and foreign tourists, from various parts of the flood-ravaged Kinnaur district over the past five days.

http://www.tribuneindia.com/2005/20050703/him2.jpgA patient being helped to board a chopper at Pooh on Saturday.

Floods keep tourists away from state (http://www.tribuneindia.com/2005/20050703/himachal.htm#3)
Dharamsala, July 2

Floods in parts of Himachal Pradesh have hit the tourism industry forcing the Tourism Department to launch a campaign to remove apprehensions about the safety of tourists from other parts of the country and abroad.

[AndreasW]

NEWS: "The Tribune"

Floods cast shadow on power projects (http://www.tribuneindia.com/2005/20050705/himachal.htm#5)
Shimla, July 4
With floods of “unlikely probability” becoming a frequent phenomenon in the Sultlej, a big question mark has been put on the future of the seven big hydro-electric projects coming up upstream and downstream the 1500 MW Nathpa Jhakri project on the highly turbulent river.

Admn concerned about peas crop in Kinnaur (http://www.tribuneindia.com/2005/20050705/himachal.htm#6)
Shimla, July 4
With most of the stranded persons have been evacuated from the flood-affected areas of Kinnaur, the crucial phase of the rescue operation is over but the administration is now worried about the transportation of peas crop.

[AndreasW]

Schlechte Nachrichten nun auch für alle, die Spiti in den nächsten Tagen über das Kullutal erreichen möchten:

Starke Regenfälle - Schnee in höheren Lagen - Landslides - Blockierte Straßen... in ganz Himachal!

Ich wünsche allen gutes Durchkommen!

NEWS: "The Tribune"
Rain showers troubles on state (http://www.tribuneindia.com/2005/20050706/himachal.htm#1)
Shimla, July 5
Normal life in many parts of the state was affected as incessant heavy rain triggered off landslides at numerous places to disrupt road links over the past 24 hours.

Chandigarh-Manali road closed (http://www.tribuneindia.com/2005/20050706/himachal.htm#2)
Shimla, July 5
Threat of floods loomed large over the villages along the banks of Beas, Andhra, Pabbar and Markanda rivers which were flowing above the danger mark following widespread heavy rain. NEWS: "Outlook"

Flood threat in Himachal, landslides block traffic
SHIMLA, JUL 5 (PTI)

Gushing waters of river Beas submerged a three-km stretch of road today causing suspension of traffic on Mandi-Kullu National Highway-21 as a threat of flood loomed large over the areas of the bank of the river downstream Pandoh dam. People living along the banks of Beas have been advised to move to safer places, Deputy Commissioner (Mandi) A R Rizvi said. Meanwhile, heavy rains triggered landslides in Shimla, Mandi, Kullu and several other areas blocking link roads and obstructing vehicular traffic. While the higher reaches in tribal areas of Kinnaur and Lahaul-Spiti had mild snowfall, reports here said. [mehr] (http://www.outlookindia.com/pti_news.asp?id=308775)

[AndreasW]

Auf Grund der dramatischen Entwicklung und sich überschlagender Nachrichten werde ich alle weiteren Nachrichten in diesem neuen thread: http://trekkingforum.com/forum/showthread.php?t=3670 (http://trekkingforum.com/forum/showthread.php?t=3670) posten!

AndreasW