Climate induced disasters such as cloudburst triggered flash floods, debris-flow, mass movements and landslides are very common phenomenon in the Himalaya. There are many instances in the recent past when these catast...Climate induced disasters such as cloudburst triggered flash floods, debris-flow, mass movements and landslides are very common phenomenon in the Himalaya. There are many instances in the recent past when these catastrophes caused heavy losses to lives and tremendous damage to property. One of the important characteristics of the Himalaya during the monsoon season is heavy downpour （cloudburst） which is due to extreme weather condition. Further, the landscape is very fragile and the human settlements are located either along the perennial streams of big rivers or on the unstable slopes. These perennial streams and big rivers are highly violent during the monsoon and whenever, the water level of these streams rises, it causes heavy loss to property and lives through destruction of the human settlements located along these courses. During the recent past, extreme changes in the climatic conditions have been seen largely due to the anthropogenic activities, i.e., population growth and large-scale deforestation. It has not only affected the climatic conditions but also affected the daily life of the inhabitants. This article examines the extreme weather related disasters in the Himalaya and gives a description of two deadly cloudburst triggered flashfloods that occurred in the Kedarnath and Badrinath valleys, which left the entire landscape devastated. This was followed by devastation of the settlements, agricultural fields, and thousands of lives were wiped out during this catastrophe. Rainfall data were collected to know about the changes in the climatic conditions and their impacts on the disaster in this part of the Himalaya.展开更多
文摘Climate induced disasters such as cloudburst triggered flash floods, debris-flow, mass movements and landslides are very common phenomenon in the Himalaya. There are many instances in the recent past when these catastrophes caused heavy losses to lives and tremendous damage to property. One of the important characteristics of the Himalaya during the monsoon season is heavy downpour （cloudburst） which is due to extreme weather condition. Further, the landscape is very fragile and the human settlements are located either along the perennial streams of big rivers or on the unstable slopes. These perennial streams and big rivers are highly violent during the monsoon and whenever, the water level of these streams rises, it causes heavy loss to property and lives through destruction of the human settlements located along these courses. During the recent past, extreme changes in the climatic conditions have been seen largely due to the anthropogenic activities, i.e., population growth and large-scale deforestation. It has not only affected the climatic conditions but also affected the daily life of the inhabitants. This article examines the extreme weather related disasters in the Himalaya and gives a description of two deadly cloudburst triggered flashfloods that occurred in the Kedarnath and Badrinath valleys, which left the entire landscape devastated. This was followed by devastation of the settlements, agricultural fields, and thousands of lives were wiped out during this catastrophe. Rainfall data were collected to know about the changes in the climatic conditions and their impacts on the disaster in this part of the Himalaya.
