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8 August 2010
Updated: A devastating landslide in China is reported to have killed at least 96 people
Updated at 09:40 UT to provide the correct location. The dreadful effects of the 2010 summer monsoon continue. Over the next couple of hours I will try to provide an update on all of the events of the last 36 hours, but I’ll start with the overnight landslide in China. Xinhua reports that “At least 96 people have been confirmed dead in landslides triggered by torrential rains in northwest China’s …
6 August 2010
A new valley-blocking landslide in Nepal
Thanks to Ripendra Awal for the heads-up on this one. The tale of monsoon devastation in South Asia continues with new reports of a valley blocking landslide at Setikhola village, which is located in Narmajung VDC in Kaski District, Nepal. The landslide occurred on the morning of 3rd August, killing five people according to press reports. So far 300 people have needed to be moved due to flooding on the …
27 July 2010
Attabad lake level is rising again. It is clear that temperature is the key control at present.
The lake level at Attabad is rising again – the latest NDMA report suggests that the level has increased by 19 inches (41 cm) in the last 24 hours: It is now clear that the lake level is controlled primarily by local environmental conditions (which in turn are changing the inflow), rather than the spillway properties. Compare the following two graphs. The first is the lake level through July to …
26 July 2010
Attabad lake level stabilises again
The latest report from the NDMA suggests that the lake level at Attabad has stabilised once again, matching the stabilisation of flow in the Indus catchment: There is no news as yet as to when blasting to drain the lake will start.
24 July 2010
Large drop in the lake level at Attabad
The latest NDMA update (released yesterday) reports a further very substantial drop in the level of the lake. The report is that the level of the lake fell by 28 inches (71 cm) in the 24 hour period to 9 am (local time) on 23rd July. This means that the lake level graph looks like this: The cause of this reduction appears to be a dramatic decrease in inflow, caused …
22 July 2010
Strange goings on at Attabad
The NDMA daily report for today (22nd July) reports a dramatic decrease in lake level – 19 inches (48 cm) in the last 24 hours. This is by far the largest fall recorded to date, producing a lake level the looks like this: This is quite surprising. Assuming that the surface area of the lake is 1202 hectares (in fact it is probably a little larger in reality), this implies …
21 July 2010
The Government has reportedly decided to use blasting to lower the lake at Attabad by 80 metres
The Associated Press Pakistan has a report of a somewhat important development in the Attabad landslide dam story this evening. The report is of a high level meeting, chaired by the President of Pakistan, which has decided to lower the level of the lake to 30 metres (it is currently 111 metres, implying a drop of about 80 metres from the current level. This will be achieved through controlled blasting. …
19 July 2010
Latest Attabad lake level information
I have now extracted the lake level data from the latest NDMA daily report. The latest graph on lake level above the spillway floor at the time of overtopping is as follows: I haven’t updated the long term lake level graph for a long time, so here it is: Finally, the flow through the spillway is also now increasing, even though the lake level is going up: This increased lake …
The Attabad lake is now at its highest level so far
Today’s NDMA report paints a surprising picture of the Attabad barrier lake. It reports that the water level has risen by 36 inches (91 cm) over the weekend, meaning that it is now at its highest ever level. I will try to post the graphs of lake level and discharge in the next three hours or so.
A new landslide barrier lake in China
China is suffering dreadfully from landslides this summer, with reports overnight of at least 20 fatalities in Langao County in Ankang in Shaanxi, and many more killed by landslides in Sichuan and Shaanxi. However, the CriEnglish website is tonight reporting on a new barrier lake that has formed in Chongqing, forcing the evacuation of 12,000 people. The slide is reported to have occurred on the Luojiang River in Chengkou County. The …
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.
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