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Causes and Consequences of Rishiganga Flash Flood, Nanda Devi Biosphere Reserve, Central Himalaya, India

Manish Mehta, Vinit Kumar, Kalachand Sain, Sameer K. Tiwari, Amit Kumar, Akshaya Verma

2021Current Science22 citationsDOIOpen Access PDF

Abstract

at 10:30 am, a huge amount of slurry material flooded the Rishiganga catchment, resulting in excessive flow along the valley. The main cause of this flood was the dislocation of a huge rock mass approximately 540 m wide and 720 m long from the main rock body, which slipped down towards the Raunthi Gadera valley floor, causing massive devastation in the areas such as Raini, Tapovan, and Vishnuprayag. This event was not expected and was the first event in history when a flash flood occurred in winter.

Topics & Concepts

BiosphereFlash floodNature reserveFlood mythGeographyWater resource managementSocioeconomicsGeologyEnvironmental scienceEcologyArchaeologyBiologyEconomicsFlood Risk Assessment and ManagementHydrology and Watershed Management StudiesLandslides and related hazards