28 May 2010
New images and maps of Attabad
Posted by Dave Petley
Whilst we wait for news from Pakistan, here are two new resources that readers may find useful. First, NASA have released a new Aster image of the lake site, collected in the last few days. This is available here, with a link to my blog (thanks to them for this). The image shows the manner in which the lake has extended in the last few weeks – NASA have helpfully provided an image with the previous extents shown:
The unannotated image, this time orientated north-south, is also rather fine:
Alonside this, UNOSAT have released another map of the areas inundated by the flood. This is available here, and looks like this:
We may see some landslides along the banks of the lake as the water level is drawn down by the breach, so this imagery may prove to be very useful.
Dave Petley is the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Hull in the United Kingdom. His blog provides commentary and analysis of landslide events occurring worldwide, including the landslides themselves, latest research, and conferences and meetings.
Thanks for this Dr Dave, it's very interesting. It's kind of surreal that the best source on a landslide in Pakistan is a UK blog.
RED ALERTReportedly the expected over topping (over flowing) of the spillway have started at a very low rate and hopefully all the access water pouring in into lake at its tail which is extended to some 8 to 10 mile upstream—- will result in a move of water in the lake. This move may result into more erosion along the lenght of lake. At the spillway it's soil is not comact but is loose in nature and once the loose clay found in between the big boulders stuck in the blockages is eroded —-more water will start flowiwng through them which may result in shifting of boulders as well as debris thus causing an exceptional outburst any time soon. Even at this stage in order to control the drainage of lake it is highly recommended thatto prevent the downstream destruction by sudden outburst of lake dam; an adequate water draining arrangements by laying the mega poly pipes or other flexi hose artificial Siphons System along the spillway may be the only solution to avail a controlled drain of the lake as well as prevent the downstream damages that it may cause to the life and properties of people including the mega structure of Tarbela Dam.