29 October 2013
More photographs of the aftermath of the Kedarnath debris flow disaster
Posted by Dave Petley
Last week I posted one of the images kindly provided by Vaibhav Kaul of the aftermath of the Kedarnath disaster. These were taken on a recent visit by Vaibhav to the area, on foot of course – a truly epic journey. He has kindly allowed me to post more of them here. For reference, it is worth looking at the earlier post in which I reconstructed the events of that day in June, and the one in which I blended eye-witness reports with an overall narrative.
The Chorabari Glacier source of the second debris flow
The source of the second, more damaging debris flow, was a breach in the glacial moraine that formed a dam to create a temporary lake, known as Chorabari Tal (Gandhi
Sarovar), on the flank of the glacier. This image shows one of the two tongues of the glacier. The valley on the left side of the image on the flank of the glacier is that of Chorabari Tal (Gandhi Sarovar). The breach is clearly visible, as is the path that the water followed:
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The track of the second debris flow
Viewed from below the town, the track of the main debris flow down the slope above the town is very clear. Most of the water and debris flowed down the left side of the image, a smaller component over-spilled the ridge to flow down towards the right side. The flows recombined above the town:
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The impact on the town
The debris flow then struck the town with devastating consequences. At the upslope end of the town was located the temple, which escaped with comparatively minor damage. This is probably due to a combination of an extremely robust structure and, possibly, the protective effects of a boulder immediately upstream of the main building:
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Downstream the buildings were far less fortunate:
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Effects below Kedarnath
The debris flow then passed down through the valley below the town, where the effects of the debris flow were devastating. This is the channel upstream of the small village of Rambara – note the slope failures on the flanks of the channel triggered by undercutting by the main flow:
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Rambara destroyed
The most shocking impact of this disaster is the effect on Rambara. This is Rambara before the debris flow (source):
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This is the site of the village now:
The bad day for those people who lost their loved ones and family members…Thanks for sharing
Thanks to Author. Explain very well.