I have compiled a few things about the cloudburst incident in Ladakh.
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This section also tries to compile information on what exactly happened in Ladakh and why it was such a great disaster, besides providing some important links on latest information, helplines and what you can do for Ladkh.Please readers go through this blog and get to know about what damages happened and please help the people affected.A background to the disaster
Listed here are an understanding of why the damage in Leh was so high.
What is a cloudburst?
“A cloudburst is an extreme form of rainfall, sometimes mixed with hail and thunder, which normally lasts no longer than a few minutes but is capable of creating flood conditions… Meteorologists say the rain from a cloudburst is usually of the shower type with a fall rate equal to or greater than 100mm (3.94 inches) per hour… During a cloudburst, more than 2cm of rain may fall in a few minutes.”
To give you a perspective of the amount of rainfall, average annual rainfall in
Annual rainfall in
So a cloudburst could account for more than 10% of a year’s average rainfall in Indian plains in just a few minutes.
And this in a place like Ladakh, where annual rainfall can be less than 50mm is a disaster.
How much was the rainfall in Leh?It looks like we will never get to know.
phenomenon and it appears that there were no measuring sites anywhere in the area where the incident happened.
Even if it did, perhapessite would not have survived the cloudburst.
IMD doesn't have any clear data on the amount of rainfall on the day of the cloudburst.
Indian Air force Data (perhaps taken from the defence airport) indicates 12.8mm rainfall.
But do keep in mind that the aiport was on a side of Leh opposite to Choglamsar where maximum damages took place.
Why were the damages so high?
A cloudburst anywhere can mean a disaster, since the amount of precipitation is too high in very short time.
Incidences of cloudburst have been recorded more frequently in greener Himalayan states like Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Sikkim
Even in these places, villages have been wiped out from the force of the floods and more than a hundred people have died at times.
Yet, the cloudburst in Leh may have caused a destruction of much higher order. The reason lies in the type of landscape and the soil in the mountains of Ladakh.
Unlike Himachal or
Its slopes are bare and not even grass grows in most places.
It is a high altitude desert where it rains very rarely.
The monsoon clouds coming from south-west are blocked byPir-Panjal Ranges in Himachal and Ka shm ir , preventing them from reaching the highlands of Ladakh.
The monsoon clouds coming from south-west are blocked by
Whenever it does rain considerably in Ladakh, it causes more problems than does anything good.
Every major precipitation brings down huge amounts of loose soil from the slopes and deposits at the base of the valley (where villages and roads are typically located).
Every major precipitation brings down huge amounts of loose soil from the slopes and deposits at the base of the valley (where villages and roads are typically located).
In the absence of a vegetation that can slow down the flow, the damages can be heavy.
Rains lead to landslides and road blocks. The steep slopes help increase the ferocity of water, which can wash away bridges, houses, roads and anything that comes on its way.
Over many centuries, Ladakhis have adopted to a way of living that suits the dry climate.
People rely on perennial mountain streams originating from snowy peaks for their drinking water needs.
When it rains, these water sources turn muddy, resulting in shortage of potable water.
Traditional Ladakhi houses are built from mud, taking advantage of the fact that it doesn’t rain there.
An unlikely strong rain can bring these houses down very quickly.
Plenty of loose soil must have washed away from the mountain slopes when the cloud burst happened.
This is the mud that got deposited in Choglamsar Village
The fury of the rushing water and the mud would have simply washed away many structures on the way.
A personal experience on the rains in Ladakh
I happened to witness the aftermath of heavy rains in Ladakh when I was therein2008.
I was on my way from Leh to Lamayuru in a local bus. It had rained heavily the previous night.
Our bus stopped beforeUley Topko Village
I was on my way from Leh to Lamayuru in a local bus. It had rained heavily the previous night.
Our bus stopped before
A bursting stream had dumped a lot of mud on the road. The mud and stone mixture was about a feet high.
The dump looked sturdy, and it appeared that one can walk over it without difficulty.
But it turned out to be soft and our legs would sink in the moment we stepped over it.
We walked across the slide from an easier crossing on the slope while the bus waited for BRO’s recovery vehicles to arrive.
But it turned out to be soft and our legs would sink in the moment we stepped over it.
We walked across the slide from an easier crossing on the slope while the bus waited for BRO’s recovery vehicles to arrive.
But there was bad news a little ahead.
A bridge across the road was washed away by strong currents.
A bridge across the road was washed away by strong currents.
It was so bad that there were no remains of the bridge to be seen anywhere nearby. Thankfully there were no damages to lives or any other property nearby.
Stranded for the morning and not knowing what to do next, we decided to walk in to a nearby restaurant for breakfast.
But they did not have much to offer besides bread-toast—not even tea—as their only source of potable water had now turned muddy.
The Rizong Monastery upstream had to go without potable water for many days after the rains.
People help each other as they make their way through a muddy road
Over 130 people were killed and a few hundred more are feared washed away in a cloudburst followed by torrential rains and flash floods that devastated this Himalayan town in Ladakh region of Jammu
Eyewitness accounts and other sources fear that the death toll could cross over 500 as several far flung villages were yet to be accessed by rescue teams in this high-altitude terrain.
“We have recovered 112 bodies so far and at least 370 are injured. The number of missing is yet to be ascertained,” State Police Chief Kuldeep Khoda said and added that the toll may go up.
A woman crosses a spring which sprang up overnight in Leh
A contractor told senior state administration officials that 150 of his labourers were missing from Shyong village where he had lodged them.
A contractor told senior state administration officials that 150 of his labourers were missing from Shyong village where he had lodged them.
The colony was set up along the river Sindh and the officials feared that many huts would have been washed away in the flash floods.
The Army was being asked to give an account of local and outstation labourers.
Over 200 people were still reported to be missing from the worst-hit village Chougham Sar, 13 kms from Leh.
Over 200 people were still reported to be missing from the worst-hit village Chougham Sar, 13 kms from Leh.
Authorities said that the Army had suffered losses in Turtuk area.
Some of the villages along the Chang La pass, world’s second highest motorable road, were also believed to have been washed away in the torrential rains.
A bus crushed under a landslide in Leh on Friday.
More than hundred people are feared killed in flash floods triggered by massive cloudbursts in Kashm ir ’s frontier Ladakh region.
According to reports reaching here, a massive cloudburst struck the Leh town, 400Kms from here, around midnight Thursday following torrential rains in the area, triggering flash floods and mudslides.
Another cloudburst was reported from Choglamsar area of the region
Official sources said that the death toll could be much higher as the flash floods swept away mud houses with inmates who were asleep when the calamity struck.
Roads have been blocked and all telecommunication links snapped making it difficult to assess the damage.
Besides, the lone Leh Airp ort
A camp of border police, many government offices and hospital have been damaged.
Official sources said the army has been called out to help in rescue effort.
Strategically located Ladakh has a large presence of the Indian army and is connected to outside world with a difficult mountain road.
The area is a high-altitude desert about 11,500 feet (3,500 meters) above sea level as the Himalayas create a rain shadow, denying entry to monsoon clouds.
Recent flooding in the region has been attributed to abnormal rain patterns.
A three-member Central team comprising Farooq Abdullah, Ghulam Nabi Azad and Prithviraj Chavan will be visiting the area on Saturday.
The nation, led by President Pratibha Patil expressed grief over the tragedy that had befallen on this town during the night.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh too expressed sorrow over the loss of life and property in the flash floods and announced ex-gratia relief of Rs one ladakh each to next of kin of each of the deceased.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh too expressed sorrow over the loss of life and property in the flash floods and announced ex-gratia relief of Rs one ladakh each to next of kin of each of the deceased.
Leh-Ladakh airport runway was affected due to the inclement weather but was made operational by afternoon to facilitate landing of aircraft carrying relief material and rescue teams.
Resource, Helplines and Information
24 helpline numbers setup by local government: 09906990787 and 09906990835.
How you can help
Press release from LAHDC (Leh Autonomous Hill District Council), the local government body, on how to make contributions towards relief work.
Press release from LAHDC (Leh Autonomous Hill District Council), the local government body, on how to make contributions towards relief work.
You can donate to Ladakh Ecological Development Group.
Helping the people affected.
News reports on cloudburst and the damages
Going to read news stories from various sources from past one week.
The water continued to rise as we tourists tried to quickly pack our most important belongings in the rain and darkness.
Going to read news stories from various sources from past one week.
The water continued to rise as we tourists tried to quickly pack our most important belongings in the rain and darkness.
The neighbors kept shouting for us get out of the house. I couldn’t understand why at the time.
My instinct in a flash flood was to climb upstairs as high as possible
I only understood the next day, that the houses in Ladakh are often not built to withstand a cloudburst like this and that the neighbors were afraid the roof or the house itself might collapse.
The water rose to about 4 feet at its deepest in the street, and about 2 1/2 feet in the guesthouse before the heavy rain stopped and the water began to recede.Locals said that they had never seen rain like this in 75years…His Holiness Dali lama on the incident (Aug 13). “All what happened in Leh is very very sad.These are all natural disastes.
What we can do is pray for the victims and also offer condolences to thesurviving family members and give donations for their rehabilitation,” the Tibetan leader saidin
Army sets up relief camps (Aug 12).
Indian Army and paramilitary personnel have erected relief camps and are providing food and medical aid to locals, as they begin to rebuild their lives in the flood ravaged region of Leh, Ladakh…
Praises for Indian Army operations
The army has been extremely nice.
Army helicopters rescue more than 150 tourists (Aug 9). Indian military helicopters Monday plucked about 150 foreign tourists to safety in the Himalayan region of Ladakh where flash floods have killed 156 people… “We have airlifted all 150.
THE LADAKH RELIEF FUND
ISEC has been running a wide-ranging educational and appropriate technology program in
Ladakh for more than 30 year We also helped to found a number of Ladakhi NGOs, and partner with many more.
We feel a special urgency and responsibility to help our many friends in Ladakh, and we are uniquely positioned to doTo this end we will immediately begin accepting donations for a Ladakh Relief Fund to help channel monetarydonations from around the world to help meet the most pressing needs of this devastated region
