Uttarkashi: Cloudburst did not happen in Dharali! IMD claims; ISRO will tell the  reason of the tragedy

Uttarkashi: The Dharali village of Uttarkashi district of Uttarakhand witnessed such a terrible disaster on Tuesday afternoon, which will not be easy to forget for anyone. Suddenly water and debris from the mountain wreaked havoc in the village. Within minutes houses, hotels and markets were washed away. The alleged cloudburst in the upper catchment area of ​​the Kheerganga river has been blamed for this tragedy, although experts are doubting this claim.

Also Read: Uttarakhand Cloudburst: Flood threat looms in Alaknanda, warning in Srinagar and Devprayag too

Dharali village of Uttarkashi district of Uttarakhand witnessed such a terrible tragedy on Tuesday afternoon, which will not be easy to forget. Suddenly water and debris from the mountain wreaked havoc in the village. Houses, hotels and markets were washed away in no time. So far, bodies of 6 people have been recovered in this accident, while many people are still missing. Till now rescue teams have evacuated 190 people safely . The sudden tragedy in Dharali village is being primarily blamed on a cloudburst in the upper catchment area of the Kheer Ganga river, but experts have questioned this claim.

In the meanwhile one of the scientists of Indian Meteorological Department, Rohit Thapliyal told PTI, “That the data we have does not indicate that a cloudburst has been taken place in Dharali village of Uttarkashi. While on Tuesday, only 27 mm of rain water was recorded in Uttarkashi district of Uttarakhand, which is much less than the standards set for cloudburst or flood.

When asked what could be the reason for the sudden flood if cloudburst is not the reason, Thapliyal said that this is a subject of detailed scientific study. He reiterated that the available meteorological data does not confirm cloudburst.

Scientific definition of cloudburst

According to the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD), cloudburst means rainfall of more than 100 mm per hour, amid strong winds and lightning, in an area of 20 to 30 square kilometres. Research by IIT Jammu and NIH Roorkee published in 2023 describes it as a sudden rainfall of 100-250 mm per hour, which often occurs in a very limited area like 1 square kilometer.

What is the opinion of experts?

DP Dobhal, former scientist of Wadia Institute of Himalayan Geology, said, the possibility of cloudburst is very low in the alpine region of Dharali from where mud and debris came down the slope. It is more likely that a large piece of ice, a huge rock fall or a landslide caused the glacial debris to suddenly flow away and cause flooding. He suggested that the real causes of the disaster will be confirmed only after scientific analysis of satellite images. Satellite images have been sought from ISRO for this.

Also Read: Now Trump has burst a 50% 'Tariff Bomb', which way will the market turn?

According to a recent study published in the Journal of Geological Society of India, there has been a sharp increase in the incidents of excessive rainfall and surface water flow in Uttarakhand after 2010. While temperatures rose and rainfall decreased between 1998-2009, heavy rainfall events increased in the central and western regions of the state after 2010. Uttarakhand’s geography makes it inherently disaster-prone

Steep and unstable slopes

Erosion-susceptible structures

Tectonic faults such as the Main Central Thrust (All of these combine to increase the risk of landslides and flash floods manifold.)

Recent studies and data on cloudburst

According to research published in the Natural Hazards journal in November 2023, 183 disasters were recorded in the monsoon season alone between 2020-2023, of which 34.4% were landslides, 26.5% were flash floods and 14% were cloudbursts. According to the Atlas of the Centre for Science and Environment, between January 2022 and March 2025, extreme weather events were recorded on 822 days in the Himalayan states and union territories, in which 2,863 people died.

Summary

Experts believe that human intervention plays a major role in the intensity of natural disasters. Road construction on unstable slopes, indiscriminate cutting of forests, expansion of tourism infrastructure and uncontrolled settlements on river banks are increasing this danger.