What lies underneath: 50,000 cubic m of water in new Chamoli lake

THEY NOW have a bunch. The lake that used to be shaped upstream of the Rishi Ganga river after the February 7 flash floods in Uttarakhand’s Chamoli district, keeping the opportunity of a contemporary deluge, is between eight metres and nine metres extensive at other issues, and incorporates about 50,000 cubic metres of water.

In a joint operation Saturday, an Indian Air Power Complex Mild Helicopter winched divers from the Indian Army into the lake to measure its intensity. Because the helicopter hovered 14,000 toes above sea stage, the divers plunged into the ice-cold water with hand held echo sounders to calculate the intensity. In a free up, the Army famous the complexity of the operation, together with keeping the choppers secure within the tricky terrain.

In keeping with a Army legitimate, the operation lasted round half-an-hour, beginning with the take-off from Joshimath to achieve the lake, positioning of the helicopter over it, the dive into the waters to file the intensity at a number of spots, and the go back to Joshimath.

Following the operation, Uttarakhand officers stated, they assessed the quantity of water held within the lake at 50,000 cubic metres. An legitimate stated the Army had measured intensity at 5 spots within the lake, and calculated the common intensity at round eight metres.

“The knowledge is essential as previous we weren’t ready to evaluate the amount of water within the lake,” stated Ridhim Aggarwal, DIG, State Crisis Reaction Power (SDRF), and Further CEO, Uttarakhand State Crisis Control Authority. The knowledge will even lend a hand scientists resolve the power exerted by means of the water at the wall keeping it, officers stated.

Chamoli District Justice of the Peace Swati S Bhadauria stated that with the Army filing its report back to scientists tenting close to the lake, additional motion can be taken as consistent with their determination. The Army staff have been known as in to evaluate the location as time used to be of the essence and there used to be no highway get entry to to the lake, officers stated.

Indian Army spokesperson Commander Vivek Madhwal stated two Army groups are stationed at Joshimath and 5 groups are on standby for the Chamoli operation.

The SDRF Sunday additionally put in a Fast Deployable Antenna Device close to the lake, with video-call facility, to lend a hand rapid communications between the scientists and different officers given the loss of cellular community within the space. The QDA Device will live-stream the location at the different floor.

Recently, there are 10 scientists on the lakeside camp, together with from the Defence Analysis and Construction Organisation, Geological Survey of India, Wadia Institute of Himalayan Geology and Uttarakhand Area software Centre. Except that, seven SDRF workforce are tenting on the website to stay an eye on any risk because of the lake.

Aggarwal stated the QDA would lend a hand them stay an eye at the waters from the bottom station and higher information the staff at the spot. She stated whilst the water is slowly getting discharged from the lake by way of a channel at the present time, they’re having a look at “widening that channel for higher outflow in a managed approach. We can additionally discover chances of developing extra channels.”

Noting that the amount of water used to be massive, Prof Y P Sundriyal of Hemvati Nandan Bahuguna Garhwal College’s Geology Division stated the wall keeping it used to be product of silt, sand and clay. “If it has now not damaged to this point, it may be assumed there can be no unexpected blast-like damage off,” Sundriyal stated, whilst advising the management to make certain that water is tired from it in higher amounts quickly.

The toll within the tragedy is now as much as 68, with six extra our bodies recovered. The district management stated 136 persons are nonetheless lacking.

With inputs from ENS, Chandigarh