2010 Ladakh floods

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2010 Ladakh floods
Skyu 2010.jpg
Date6 August 2010
Location Leh, and numerous other villages in the Ladakh Range
Deathsat least 255 killed, 29 missing [1]
Non-fatal injuriesat least 220 [1]
Property damage₹ 1.33 billion, [1] $ 24.8 million

The 2010 Ladakh floods occurred on 6 August 2010 across a large part of Ladakh, then part of the state of Jammu and Kashmir. 71 towns and villages were damaged, including the main town in the area, Leh. [1] [2] At least 255 people are reported to have died, [1] [3] six of whom were foreign tourists, [1] [4] after a cloudburst and heavy overnight rains triggered flash floods, mudflows, and debris flows. [2] [5] 200 people were reported missing in the initial aftermath of the storm, [3] [4] [6] and thousands more were rendered homeless after the flooding caused extensive damage to property and infrastructure. [7] Overall, 9000 people were directly affected by the event. [1]

Contents

History

Leh is the largest town in the Ladakh region of the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir. It is on a plateau at around 3,500 metres (11,500 ft) above sea level and usually receives very little rainfall, around 100 millimetres (3.9 in) per year. [2] [8] Described as a "high-altitude cold desert", the area has sparse rainfall and a heavy downpour is a rare occurrence. [9] The average rainfall in Leh for the month of August is 15.4 millimetres (0.61 in), with highest rainfall ever recorded during a single 24-hour period being 51.3 millimetres (2.02 in), recorded on 22 August 1933. [10]

The town is predominantly Buddhist. Tourists are attracted by its natural environment. [5] August is the peak tourist season when thousands of western backpackers come to the area. Leh receives about 60,000 foreign and 150,000 domestic tourists annually. [11]

Flooding and damage

Condition of the Leh Airfield after the cloud burst, the Runway and required part for operation is already made clear. Condition of the Leh Airfield after the cloud burst, the Runway and required part for operation is already made clear.jpg
Condition of the Leh Airfield after the cloud burst, the Runway and required part for operation is already made clear.
Damage from floods. Leh. Damage from floods. Leh.jpg
Damage from floods. Leh.

The flash floods happened after a night of heavy downpour. The cloudburst itself occurred between 0000–0030 hours IST on 6 August 2010, leading to flash flooding, debris flows, and mudflows over the region. The rainfall distribution was highly spatially variable. The most intense part of the storm was focused in a 6-kilometre (3.7 mi)-wide band parallel to, and a few kilometers from, the river Indus. This band was centred over most of the major settlements in the area, including Leh. [2]

Outside the band, the rainfall intensity was unremarkable; the only weather station in the area, at Leh airport, recorded just 12.8 millimetres (0.50 in) of total rainfall for the night of 6 August. [12] However, within it precipitation intensities were over an order of magnitude higher, peaking at at least 150 mm/h (5.9 in/h) over Leh during the most intense part of the storm. [2] Estimates of the maximum total rainfall in some places were as high as 250 millimetres (9.8 in). [13] Note that the implied 75 millimetres (3.0 in) of rain over Leh during the most intense part of the storm is equivalent to around a year's worth of rain falling in 30 minutes.

The rains occurred at night, and surprised everyone. [14] In Leh, many buildings were destroyed including hospitals, the bus terminal, radio station transmitter, telephone exchange and mobile-phone towers. BSNL communication systems were fully destroyed. Communications were later restored by the Indian Army. [8] The local bus station was severely damaged and some of the buses were carried more than a mile by the mud. [9] The city's airport was damaged but was rapidly repaired to allow relief flights the following day. The village of Choglamsar on the outskirts of the city was particularly badly hit. [5]

In neighbouring valleys, large numbers of smaller villages which lay under the main rainfall band were also heavily damaged, with large numbers of casualties. As in Leh, much of the destruction was caused by debris flows coming from the rocky sidewalls of the valleys, not by the flooding itself. [2] Notable impacts occurred in Sobu, Phyang, Nimu, Nyeh, and Basgo villages. In total, almost 1500 homes in 71 settlements across the area were reported to have been damaged. [1] Detailed mapping and estimation of the entrapped sediment mass within the transverse stream valleys of various sectors of Himalaya is required to predict the style of mass transfer during such events. [15]

All of the estimated 3000 tourists in Leh, including 1000 foreigners were safe according to local officials. [16] Outside the town, six tourists were reported killed. However, official documents indicate that at least 255 local residents were killed, with a further 29 never found. [1] The true toll may have been significantly higher, perhaps more than 600 people. [2] [17]

Response

The rescue efforts were hampered by gushing water and mud which was 10 feet high in places. In addition many of the roads and bridges leading to Leh were damaged, making it difficult to truck in relief supplies. [9] Four hundred critically wounded people were evacuated and some were admitted to the army hospital in Leh. [8] Indian Army soldiers launched a massive rescue operation. [18] Home minister P. Chidambaram said that over 6,000 security personnel were deployed in Leh for rescue operations. Prime minister Manmohan Singh expressed grief and announced compensation of Rs. 100,000 to the kin of deceased and Rs. 50,000 for those injured. [8] Chief Minister of the state Omar Abdullah directed the administration to undertake relief effort on a war footing. [19]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ladakh</span> Region administered by India

Ladakh is a region administered by India as a union territory and constitutes an eastern portion of the larger Kashmir region that has been the subject of a dispute between India and Pakistan since 1947 and India and China since 1959. Ladakh is bordered by the Tibet Autonomous Region to the east, the Indian state of Himachal Pradesh to the south, both the Indian-administered union territory of Jammu and Kashmir and the Pakistan-administered Gilgit-Baltistan to the west, and the southwest corner of Xinjiang across the Karakoram Pass in the far north. It extends from the Siachen Glacier in the Karakoram range to the north to the main Great Himalayas to the south. The eastern end, consisting of the uninhabited Aksai Chin plains, is claimed by the Indian Government as part of Ladakh, and has been under Chinese control since 1962.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Leh</span> City in Indian-administered Ladakh, Kashmir region

Leh is a city in Indian-administered Ladakh in the disputed Kashmir region. It is the largest city and the joint capital of Ladakh, which is an Indian-administered union territory. Leh, located in the Leh district, was also the historical capital of the Kingdom of Ladakh. The seat of the kingdom, Leh Palace, the former residence of the royal family of Ladakh, was built in the same style and about the same time as the Potala Palace in Tibet. Since they were both constructed in a similar style and at roughly the same time, the Potala Palace in Tibet and Leh Palace, the royal residence, are frequently contrasted. It's crucial to keep in mind, though, that Leh Palace lacks the same grandeur and historical significance as the Potala Palace. Although the assertion regarding the architectural period and timeline is frequently made. Leh is at an altitude of 3,524 m (11,562 ft), and is connected via National Highway 1 to Srinagar in the southwest and to Manali in the south via the Leh-Manali Highway.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cloudburst</span> Short and very intense rain

A cloudburst is an extreme amount of precipitation in a short period of time, sometimes accompanied by hail and thunder, which is capable of creating flood conditions. Cloudbursts can quickly dump large amounts of water, e.g. 25 mm of the precipitation corresponds to 25,000 metric tons per square kilometre. However, cloudbursts are infrequent as they occur only via orographic lift or occasionally when a warm air parcel mixes with cooler air, resulting in sudden condensation. At times, a large amount of runoff from higher elevations is mistakenly conflated with a cloudburst. The term "cloudburst" arose from the notion that clouds were akin to water balloons and could burst, resulting in rapid precipitation. Though this idea has since been disproven, the term remains in use.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kargil district</span> District of Indian-administered Ladakh, Kashmir region

Kargil district is a district in Indian-administered Ladakh in the disputed Kashmir-region. It is one of the two districts comprising the Indian-administered union territory of Ladakh. The district headquarters are in the city of Kargil. The district is bounded by the Indian-administered union territory of Jammu and Kashmir to the west, the Pakistani-administered administrative territory of Gilgit–Baltistan to the north, Ladakh's Leh district to the east, and the Indian state of Himachal Pradesh to the south. Encompassing three historical regions known as Purig, Dras and Zanskar, the district lies to the northeast of the Great Himalayas and encompasses the majority of the Zanskar Range. Its population inhabits the river valleys of the Dras, Suru, Wakha Rong, and Zanskar.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kathua</span> City administered by India in Jammu and Kashmir

Kathua is a city and municipal council of the Jammu division of Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir in the disputed Kashmir region. The city is the headquarters of Kathua district and is divided into 27 wards which constitute the Kathua Municipal Council. It is situated along NH-44 The city has a bustling industrial area and an army cantonment adjoining it. Being a transit hub for industrial activity in the state, the city has a large industrial base with textile park, Biotechnology and Pharma industrial and research park, Cement industry and many medium scale MSMEs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bagh District</span> District of Azad Kashmir administered by Pakistan

Bagh District is a district of Pakistan-administered Azad Kashmir in the disputed Kashmir region. It is one of the ten districts of Azad Jammu and Kashmir. Previously part of Poonch District, it was established as a separate district in 1988.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Amarnath Temple</span> Hindu shrine in Kashmir, India

The Amarnath Temple is a Hindu shrine located in the Pahalgam tehsil of the Anantnag district of Jammu and Kashmir, India. A cave situated at an altitude of 3,888 m (12,756 ft), about 168 km from Anantnag city, the district headquarters, 141 km (88 mi) from Srinagar, the summer capital of Jammu and Kashmir, reached through either Sonamarg or Pahalgam. It is an important shrine of Hinduism. The cave, located in Sind Valley, is surrounded by glaciers, snowy mountains and is covered with snow most of the year, except for a short period in the summer, when it is open to pilgrims. In 1989, pilgrims numbered between 12,000 and 30,000. In 2011, the numbers reached a peak, crossing 6.3 lakh (630,000) pilgrims. In 2018 pilgrims numbered 2.85 lakh (285,000). The annual pilgrimage varies between 20 and 60 days.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Leh district</span> District of Ladakh, administered by India

Leh district is a district in Indian-administered Ladakh in the disputed Kashmir-region. Ladakh is an Indian-administered union territory. With an area of 45,110 km2, it is the second largest district in the country, second only to Kutch. It is bounded on the north by Gilgit-Baltistan's Kharmang and Ghanche districts and Xinjiang's Kashgar Prefecture and Hotan Prefecture, to which it connects via the historic Karakoram Pass. Aksai Chin and Tibet are to the east, Kargil district to the west, and Lahul and Spiti to the south. The district headquarters is in Leh. It lies between 32 and 36 degree north latitude and 75 to 80 degree east longitude.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kargil</span> Town in Indian-administered Ladakh, Kashmir region

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">History of Ladakh</span> Aspect of history

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