Flash floods in Uttarakhand in year 2012

2012 Himalayan

flash flood A flash flood is a rapid flooding of low-lying areas: washes, rivers, dry lakes and depressions. It may be caused by heavy rain associated with a severe thunderstorm, hurricane, or tropical storm, or by meltwater from ice and snow. Flash f ...

s are the floods that occurred on the midnight of 3 August 2012 in the Himalayan region of Northern Indian states. Many were dead and missing. Many places were affected. Landslides and flash floods were triggered by a sudden cloudburst which left 31 people dead while 40 are reported to be missing.

Details

The following are the states that were affected by the torrential rain that resulted in flash floods.

Uttarakhand

Uttarakhand Uttarakhand (, ), also known as Uttaranchal ( ; List of renamed places in India, the official name until 2007), is a States and union territories of India, state in North India, northern India. The state is bordered by Himachal Pradesh to the n ...

was the state that was most affected by the torrential rain. Ten people died and 38 others are missing as a result of the flash floods. Several houses were washed away and the Char Dham yatra has been suspended leaving the pilgrims stranded. 19 labourers at the Assi Ganga hydel power project are reported to be missing in the

Uttarkashi Uttarkashi is a town and the headquarters of Uttarkashi district in Uttarakhand, India. Geography Uttarkashi is located at . It has an average elevation of . Demographics India census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is t ...

region. Nearly 30 homes have been washed away in the

Garhwal Garhwal may refer to the following topics associated with Uttarakhand, India: Places *Garhwal Himalaya, a sub-range of the Himalayas *Garhwal Kingdom, a former kingdom *Garhwal District (British Garhwal), a former district of British India * Ga ...

region after the Gangotri bridge collapsed. A major chunk of the Gangotri National Highway has also been washed away.

Indo-Tibetan Border Police The Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) is a Central Armed Police Forces, central armed police force in India under the Ministry of Home Affairs (India), Ministry of Home Affairs. It is responsible for guarding Border guard, India’s border with ...

and the

state disaster management forces are currently involved in the rescue operations in the

region. "Nearly 2000 people have been affected by the floods. 200 families have been evacuated from low lying regions of

to higher ground", said the

Chief Minister A chief minister is an elected or appointed head of government of – in most instances – a sub-national entity, for instance an administrative subdivision or federal constituent entity. Examples include a state (and sometimes a union ter ...

of Uttarakhand Vijay Bahuguna. Two children were killed in a house collapse in the

Karnaprayag Karnaprayag is a town and municipal board in the Chamoli District in the Indian state of Uttarakhand. Karnaprayag is one of the Panch Prayag (five confluences) of Alaknanda River, situated at the confluence of the Alaknanda and Pindar River. ...

area of

Chamoli Chamoli district is a district of the Uttarakhand state of India. It is bounded by China's Xizang Autonomous Region to the north, and by the Uttarakhand districts of Pithoragarh and Bageshwar to the east, Almora to the south, Pauri Garhwal to ...

district. Another child was washed away in the flash floods at Pokhri area of the district where landslides continued, blocking the highways leading to

Badrinath Badrinath is a town and nagar panchayat in Chamoli district in the state of Uttarakhand, India. It is a Hindu holy place, and is one of the four sites in India's Char Dham pilgrimage. It is also part of India's Chota Char Dham pilgrimage c ...

. In the Gangotri area,

Bhagirathi The Bhāgīrathī (Pron: /ˌbʌgɪˈɹɑːθɪ/) is a turbulent Himalayan river in the Indian state of Uttarakhand, and one of the two headstreams of the Ganges, the major river of Northern India and the holy river of Hinduism. In the Hindu f ...

is reported to be flowing above the danger level with people being evacuated to safer areas.

Himachal Pradesh

Flash floods hit the Palchan region in Himachal Pradesh. Two bridges and a road which connects Manali to Rohtang were washed away on the night of 4 August 2012. About 120 people have been evacuated from the affected areas. A government school, an under construction hydropower project and many electricity poles were also washed away in the floods.

Uttar Pradesh

Water logging occurred in the district of

Moradabad Moradabad () is an industrial city, commissionerate, and municipal corporation in Moradabad district of the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. It is situated on the banks of the Ramganga river, at a distance of from the national capital, New Del ...

Jammu and Kashmir

The Kathua district in

Jammu and Kashmir Jammu and Kashmir may refer to: * Jammu and Kashmir (union territory), a region administered by India as a union territory since 2019 * Jammu and Kashmir (state), a region administered by India as a state from 1952 to 2019 * Jammu and Kashmir (prin ...

was affected as water levels in the

Ujh River The Ujh river (or Ujjh river) is a tributary of the Ravi River that flows through the Pathankot in the Indian state of Punjab. Course The Ujh river originates in Kailash mountains (near Bhaderwah hills, part of the Pir Panjal Range) at an alt ...

rose. Twenty-three people were rescued and 90 families living near the

Chenab The Chenab River is a major river in India and Pakistan, and is one of the 5 major rivers of the Punjab region. It is formed by the union of two headwaters, the Chandra and Bhaga, which rise in the upper Himalayas in the Lahaul region of Himac ...

were evacuated.

Effects

Business Standard ''Business Standard'' is an Indian English-language daily edition newspaper published by Business Standard Private Limited, also available in Hindi. Founded in 1975, the newspaper covers the Indian economy, infrastructure, international busi ...

'' reported that the Northern Grid, which collapsed on 30 and 31 July, would be likely to come under renewed pressure as the power generation in Uttarakhand was stopped due to flash floods. The major hydel power projects were shut down following torrential rains that hit the state. In Uttarkashi district, the flash floods have caused damage to three state-run small hydel projects, which are controlled by Uttarakhand Jal Vidyut Nigam Ltd, resulting in their shut down. Due to the shut down, Uttarakhand would fall short of 18-20 million units per day during a monsoon season. References {{Disasters in India in 2012 Floods in India 2012 floods in Asia 2012 disasters in India Disasters in Uttarakhand Disasters in Himachal Pradesh Disasters in Uttar Pradesh Disasters in Jammu and Kashmir