Chamoli flood 2021
Also called: Chamoli disaster 2021, Rishiganga flood, Chamoli disaster (2021) · Topic: Natural Hazards and Disaster Management in India · NCERT: Class 9, Ch 2 "Shaping of the Earth's Surface"
Meaning
The Chamoli flood happened on 7 February 2021 in Chamoli district, Uttarakhand. A huge rock-and-ice avalanche broke off Ronti peak. It turned into a debris flood (a fast flow of water, mud, rock and ice) that rushed down the Rishiganga and Dhauliganga rivers. The flood wrecked the Rishiganga and Tapovan-Vishnugad hydropower projects. About 200 people died. The disaster shows the danger of building dams and tunnels inside Himalayan hazard zones.
Example
The flood started high on Ronti peak above the Rishiganga valley and swept down to Tapovan in Chamoli district. Many of the dead were workers at the hydropower sites.
Don't confuse with
- Kedarnath disaster (2013): caused by extreme monsoon rain and the breach of Chorabari lake, with floods down the Mandakini in June. Chamoli 2021 came in winter, set off by an avalanche, not by rain.