R Krishna Das
On Sunday, a massive flash flood following glacier outburst near a power project at Raini village of Tapovan area wreaked havoc in the hilly state of Uttarakhand’s Chamoli district.
As expected, environmental ‘experts’ swung into action to blame the construction of barrages and dams in the eco-sensitive area for the Chamoli disaster. On the contrary, the natural calamity was the result of glacier outburst bringing a lot of water downstream that resulted in Dhauli Ganga river flowing furiously.
But the dams and barrages located in the vicinity averted a major casualty.
The floodwater smashed the NTPC’s 520-Mw under-construction Tapovan hydro power project and several houses situated on the rivers’ banks, causing hundreds of casualties. The situation could have been worse and beyond imagination had the Tapovan barrage on the confluence of Dhauli Ganga and Rishi Ganga not bore the brunt of Nature’s fury.
According to officials engaged in the rescue operations, the barrage reduced the surging water’s pressure and thereby saving several villages downstream from being washed away. Otherwise, the loss of life and property would have been enormous. Despite the avalanche and deluge in the Alaknanda river, NTPC barrage absorbed the pressure, preventing much of the slush from flooding the area.
There has been loss of lives, materials and investments made, as the construction work at the site was in full swing. The initial estimate of the loss is pegged Rs 1,500 crore. Consequently, the project – slated to be completed by 2023 – will be delayed by at least 2-3 years.
The affected under-construction dam is on Rishi Ganga and Dhauli Ganga. The excess water from Rishi Ganga joined Alaknanda river, thus increasing the intensity of the floods in the downstream. The barrage pacified the frantic flow, giving much room to deviate the flow from the Tehri dam to accommodate the floodwater of Rishi Ganga and dwindle the intensity of the flood.
The so-called green activists would be reluctant to respond: How development activities could be blamed when it could not take place near glacier or was next to impossible to execute any project near glacier—the natural outburst of which resulted in the tragedy.
