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Massive Avalanche Hits Gandhi Sarovar near Kedarnath Dham
Context: An avalanche occur
red near Gandhi Sarovar in Chorabari glacier, beneath the snow-covered Meru-Sumeru mountains at the upper Kedarnath valley.
About Avalanche
- An avalanche is a mass of snow, rocks, ice, and soil sliding down a mountain.
- It varies from small shifts of loose snow (sluffing) to large slabs of snow displacing.
- It can occur in various forms, such as snow slides or landslides, with snow avalanches being the most common and often the most dangerous.
Impact and Risk: It poses significant dangers to human life and infrastructure.
- Human Casualties: Worldwide it claims over 150 lives annually, with snowmobilers, skiers, and snowboarders being most at risk.
- Structural Damage: It can generate powerful winds and debris flows that damage buildings and infrastructure in their path.
- For instance, the 1970 avalanche in Yungay, Peru, tragically resulted in the loss of 18,000 lives.
Control and Prevention:
- Avalanche Forecasting: Scientists monitor snowpack conditions, temperature, wind, and other factors to estimate avalanche risks.
- Control Measures: Ski areas and mountain communities employ different strategies like explosives or cannons to trigger controlled avalanches, reducing the risk to recreational enthusiasts and residents.
- Safety Measures: Education, avalanche beacons (which emit signals to aid in locating buried victims), and rescue protocols are critical in mitigating the impact of avalanches
Avalanches Prone Areas in India
- The Himalayas are well known for the occurrence of snow avalanches, particularly the Western Himalayas.
- Jammu and Kashmir – Higher reaches of Kashmir and Gurez valleys, Kargil and Ladakh and some of the major roads.
- Himachal Pradesh – Chamba, Kullu- Spiti and Kinnaur vulnerable areas.
- West Uttar Pradesh – Parts of Tehri Garhwal and Chamoli districts are vulnerable areas.
There are three types of snow avalanche zones;
- Red Zone – The most dangerous zone where snow avalanches are most frequent and have an impact pressure of more than 3 tonnes per square metre.
- Blue Zone – Where the avalanche force is less than 3 tonnes per square metre and where living and other activities may be permitted with connection of safe design but such areas may have to be vacated on warning.
- Yellow Zone – Where snow avalanches occur only occasionally.