Landslides triggered by the June 2013 extreme rainfall event in parts of Uttarakhand state, India

Martha, Tapas R.; Roy, Priyom; Govindharaj, K. Babu; Kumar, K. Vinod; Diwakar, P. G.; Dadhwal, V. K.

doi:10.1007/s10346-014-0540-7

Cited by 126 publications

(49 citation statements)

References 17 publications

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“…This early account generally concurs with a published report from the Wadia Institute of Himalayan Geology, who had scientists stationed on the glacier above the village when the disaster struck (Dobhal et al 2013a), and with a more recent elaborated regional overview (Martha et al 2014). Drawing upon these first reconstructions, and additional interpretation of earth imagery, a succinct summary of the June 16 and 17 events is provided here.…”

Section: Event Reconstructionsupporting

confidence: 61%

“…Heavy rainfall in June 2013 triggered numerous mass movements across the state of Uttarakhand, including two large debris flows on June 16 and 17 which devastated the village of Kedarnath, and the settlements of Rambara and Gaurikund located further downstream (Das et al 2015;Dobhal et al 2013a;Martha et al 2014). Throughout the region, flash flooding and landslides killed more than 6000 people (Guha-Sapir et al 2014) of which the vast majority were associated with the Kedarnath disaster.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 95%

“…Subsequent scientific attention has largely focused on understanding the extreme rainfall triggering event (Dubey et al 2013;Joseph et al 2014;Singh et al 2014), reconstructing flood volumes and discharge (Das et al 2015;Durga Rao et al 2014) or discussions surrounding the important human aspects of the disaster, such as development and land use practices, physical and societal vulnerabilities and the government response to the disaster (Chand 2014;Sati and Gahalaut 2013;Uniyal 2013). Given that the heavy monsoon rain arrived earlier than normal, some authors have alluded to the role of rain-on-snow-type melting enhancing run-off and contributing to ground saturation and breaching of the lake (Arora et al 2014;Dobhal et al 2013a), with suggestions that June snow cover may even have been thicker than normal (Durga Rao et al 2014;Martha et al 2014;Singh et al 2014). However, snow cover evolution leading up to the disaster has not yet been analysed, and a complete assessment of the hydrometeorological triggering factors (rainfall, temperature and snowmelt) is still lacking.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 96%

“…Countless roads and bridges were damaged, and at least 30 hydropower plants were either destroyed or severely damaged (Sati and Gahalaut 2013). The destruction of roads and trekking routes left around 100,000 pilgrims and tourists stranded until military and civic authorities could complete evacuation efforts (Martha et al 2014).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Lake outburst and debris flow disaster at Kedarnath, June 2013: hydrometeorological triggering and topographic predisposition

et al. 2015

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Lake outburst and debris flow disaster at Kedarnath, June 2013: hydrometeorological triggering and topographic predisposition Abstract Heavy rainfall in June 2013 triggered flash flooding and landslides throughout the Indian Himalayan state of Uttarakhand, killing more than 6000 people. The vast majority of fatalities and destruction resulted directly from a lake outburst and debris flow disaster originating from above the village of Kedarnath on June 16 and 17. Here, we provide a systematic analysis of the contributing factors leading to the Kedarnath disaster, both in terms of hydrometeorological triggering and topographic predisposition. Topographic characteristics of the lake watershed above Kedarnath are compared with other glacial lakes across the north-western Himalayan states of Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh, and implications for glacier lake outburst hazard assessment in a changing climate are discussed. Our analysis suggests that the early onset of heavy monsoon rainfall (390 mm, June 10-17) immediately following a 4-week period of unusually rapid snow cover depletion and elevated streamflow was the crucial hydrometeorological factor, resulting in slope saturation and significant run-off into the small seasonal glacial lake. Between mid-May and mid-June 2013, snowcovered area above Kedarnath decreased by around 50 %. The unusual situation of the lake being dammed in a steep, unstable paraglacial environment but fed entirely from snowmelt and rainfall within a fluvial dominated watershed is important in the context of this disaster. A simple scheme enabling large-scale recognition of such an unfavourable topographic setting is introduced. In view of projected 21st century changes in monsoon timing and heavy precipitation in South Asia, more emphasis should be given to potential hydrometeorological triggering of lake outburst and debris flow disasters in the Himalaya.

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Section: Event Reconstructionsupporting

confidence: 61%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 95%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 96%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Lake outburst and debris flow disaster at Kedarnath, June 2013: hydrometeorological triggering and topographic predisposition

et al. 2015

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“…In this paper, we present a corroboration of observations gathered from high resolution satellite data which indicated that two events in close succession caused damage to the study area.During 15-17 of June 2013 triggered numerous landslides and caused widespread damage and loss of life in the study area (Martha et al 2015).The debris brought down by rivers from these landslides, particularly from the glaciated deposits in upstream areas, caused severe river bank erosion in downstream areas.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Landslide Hazard Zonation Map of Joshimath- Badrinath Region, India: Using Remote Sensing and GIS Technique

2017

Int. j. appl. res. technol.

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During 15-17 of June 2013 triggered numerous landslides and caused widespread damage and loss of life in the study area. It affects most of the population and loss the life and wealth every year. Landslide Hazard is a common phenomenon in uttarakhand, India. It is an induced process either by torrential rain during monsoon or by seismic activity in the region. Remote Sensing and GIS technique is used to integrate geological and terrain factors and to prepare different thematic maps. IRS LISS-III MSS satellite imagery is used for classification processes and analysis. After overlaying all the thematic maps, landslide prone area and risk zone is demarcated. Joshimath-Badrinath region was chosen for the study. High risk of landslide in that area was 54% and While 25% area was at moderate risk and rest of the area was at low risk. The study is important for risk zone analysis prior to landslide to minimize the effect of hazard. So, this research is crucial for future purpose.

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Hydrological Changes in the Arctic, the Antarctic, and the Himalaya

Ranjan¹,

Pandeyand²,

Raj³

2022

Advances in Remote Sensing Technology and the Three Poles

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Landslides triggered by the June 2013 extreme rainfall event in parts of Uttarakhand state, India

Cited by 126 publications

References 17 publications

Lake outburst and debris flow disaster at Kedarnath, June 2013: hydrometeorological triggering and topographic predisposition

Lake outburst and debris flow disaster at Kedarnath, June 2013: hydrometeorological triggering and topographic predisposition

Landslide Hazard Zonation Map of Joshimath- Badrinath Region, India: Using Remote Sensing and GIS Technique

Hydrological Changes in the Arctic, the Antarctic, and the Himalaya

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