20 dead and 177 missing! India's emergency search and rescue of the victims of the glacier accident, climate change or the deep-seated reason behind the tragedy
[Global Times correspondent Hu Bofeng and Renzhong Global Times reporter Shao Yijia] "We have noticed the flooding in northern India. China expresses condolences to the victims and condolences to the families of the victims and the injured, and hopes that the missing will be rescued as soon as possible."
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin expressed condolences at a regular press conference on the 8th for the loss of life and property caused by the downstream flooding caused by a glacier break in the Indian state of Uttarakhand on the 7th.
As of the press time of this newspaper last night, the latest statistics from the Uttarakhand police stated that at least 20 people were killed and 177 people were missing from the disaster.
French President Macron, British Prime Minister Johnson, the U.S. State Department, and Pakistan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs expressed their condolences to India.
There is no authoritative explanation for the cause of this disaster, but analysts generally blame it on climate change and uncontrolled development.
Scientists predict that by 2100, the Himalayas may lose 2/3 of their glaciers.
The tragedy that just happened in India is just another blood lesson that nature has taught mankind.
Most of the missing are hydropower station workers
A glacier ruptured in the Indian state of Uttarakhand on the 7th. The ruptured glacier fell into the Alleghenda River and caused the river to burst and cause huge floods.
The boulders and soil on the mountain were taken down together and flooded two nearby hydroelectric power stations.
The video shared by the frightened people on the Internet showed that the flood toppled the crane of the power plant and damaged the bridges and roads downstream.
It is reported that most of the missing persons are workers from two hydropower stations.
Fortunately, on Sunday, fewer people worked at the hydropower station than usual, and most residents of nearby villages began to evacuate after the floods broke out.
A spokesperson for the Indian Ministry of the Interior said that the National Emergency Response Force has dispatched 4 rescue teams and about 200 rescuers, and the military has dispatched planes, helicopters and naval frogmen to the disaster area.
By the afternoon of the 8th, rescuers had reached all 13 villages in the disaster area.
The government airdropped food parcels and medicines to at least two villages affected by the floods.
According to a report by the Times of India on the 8th, 15 workers at the hydropower station were rescued on the 7th, and the 35 hydropower station workers stranded in a tunnel were the key targets of rescue on the 8th.
Beginning at 6:45 in the morning, the Indian military has successively dispatched 6 MiG-17 aircraft, 1 light helicopter and 1 "Chinook" heavy helicopter for rescue. A large number of disaster relief personnel and materials have been concentrated to the accident site.
The report quoted Pradan, head of the Indian National Disaster Emergency Response Force, as saying that due to the complex terrain, the rescue operation may take at least 24 to 48 hours. "It is difficult to predict the time required for the entire operation."
In addition, experts on ice and snow terrain and avalanche disasters under the Indian Defense Research and Development Organization rushed to the accident site on the evening of the 7th, and a group of scientists flew to the disaster area on the 8th to investigate the cause of the accident.
Reuters said on the 8th that the focus of search and rescue personnel that day was a 2.5-kilometer-long tunnel, but there has not yet been a voice contact with the people in the tunnel.
India’s AsiaNews International News Agency said on the 8th that the Indian Border Police Force has initially completed the clearance of the tunnel entrance and installed generators and lighting devices.
CNN said on the 8th that the rescue team worked overnight to search for survivors trapped under the debris.
National Public Radio said on the 7th that the glacier that broke this time was the Nanda Devi Glacier in the Himalayas.
The glacier is located near a mountain of the same name, at an altitude of 7816 meters, the second highest peak in India.
Nanda Devi means "Blessed Goddess", and Nanda Devi National Park is also included in the UNESCO World Natural Heritage List.
It's not the ice melting season right now
The "India Express" article stated that by the evening of the 7th, the flood was receding, and scientists began to go to the site of the incident to explore the true cause of the accident.
At present, all parties agree that the reason is that glacier fractures caused the collapse of the "glacial lake", which caused floods to cause downstream water levels to skyrocket.
However, Indian glaciologist Banerjee questioned that "according to the current situation, there does not seem to be such a large glacial lake near the incident."
He also denied the "Avalanche Theory" previously reported by the media, "Avalanches will not have such a large amount of water."
National Public Radio said on the 7th that it is still unclear what caused the glacier rupture on the 7th.
Although climate change has caused Himalayan glaciers to shrink, in Uttarakhand, February is still winter, which is usually not the season for glaciers to melt.
"The most disturbing thing is that it is not a flood season and the downstream areas have not received any warning."
Di Muli, a professor at the School of Environmental Sciences, Nehru University, India, also confirmed that according to the meteorological records over the years, the area where the incident occurred was not a month with heavy rains or other floods.
He and his team believe that climate change or fragile ecosystems may be the underlying cause of this tragedy.
"Washington Post" said on the 8th that analysts blamed such disasters on climate change and uncontrolled construction.
"This looks a lot like a climate change event," said Prakash, a professor at the Indian Business School. "Due to global warming, glaciers are melting." The area where the incident occurred is one of the least environmentally monitored areas. The disaster on the 7th showed How fragile it is.
Barty, who was the Minister of Water Resources, criticized the power construction project in the area where the glacier collapsed on Twitter on the 8th.
She said that she had warned against building hydropower projects on the Alleghenda River because it was too close to the Himalayas.
She said: "When I was a minister, I mentioned that the Himalayas are a very sensitive place, so power projects should not be built on the Ganges and its main tributaries." The Alleghenda River is the main tributary of the Ganges.
Environmentalist Josh told the New York Times on the 8th that the dam that was washed away is only a few miles away from the Nanda Devi Glacier. It is difficult to understand why the government had to build the dam so close to the glacier. The flood flows at a whirlwind speed."
CNN reported that the construction level along the rivers in Uttarakhand was "very high."
In recent years, there have been more and more river-related hydropower dams and infrastructure, such as roads and some new development projects.
Agence France-Presse said on the 8th that in recent years people have been worried about deforestation there.
According to the Hindu, 177 of the 257 hydropower projects near the Himalayas are located on potential glacial lake outburst rivers. Once floods come, they may exceed their design tolerance limits.
Environmentalists have long warned that the rapid development of Uttarakhand "is an imminent ecological disaster". Unfortunately, the predictions come true today.
According to a French 24-hour television report on the 8th, the founder of the non-profit environmental organization "Swechha", Wimrendu Jia, said that the disaster that occurred in India on the 7th was a response to climate change and "arbitrary construction of roads, railways and roads in ecologically sensitive areas. A severe warning of the impact of power plants.
The Qinghai-Tibet Plateau is heating up at an alarming rate
The latest disaster has also raised concerns about the future of the Himalayas.
India’s New Delhi TV reported on the 8th that a report in 2019 showed that the amount of melting of Himalayan glaciers has doubled since the beginning of the 21st century due to rising temperatures, which is twice the amount of melting from 1975 to 2000.
The report’s lead author and Columbia University scholar Maurer said that in the past 40 years, Himalayan glaciers may have lost a quarter of their mass.
The New York Times said on the 8th that the research report entitled "Hindu Kush-Himalayan Assessment" stated that rising temperatures are melting Himalayan glaciers at an alarming rate.
By the end of this century, at least one-third of the glaciers in the region will melt.
If the reduction target cannot be achieved, greenhouse gas emissions continue to grow at the current rate, and the Himalayas may lose 2/3 of their glaciers by 2100.
In this more frightening situation, by the end of this century, the temperature of the Himalayas may rise by 4.4 degrees Celsius, causing severe disruptions in food and water supplies, and leading to the displacement of large numbers of people.
Ding Minghu, a researcher at the Chinese Academy of Meteorological Sciences, said in an interview with the Global Times reporter on the 8th that glacier disasters have short-term and long-term causes, and global warming is a long-term factor.
Although the rivers originating in the Himalayas mainly flow to South Asian countries such as India and less to China, this does not mean that China is less affected by the melting of glaciers.
The Qinghai-Tibet Plateau is very large. In addition to the Himalayas, there are many mountains such as Tanggula Mountain and Karakoram Mountain. Disasters caused by melting glaciers may occur in these areas.
Take China’s Qinghai-Tibet Plateau as an example. In the past few decades, disasters such as ice avalanches and glacial lake outbursts have been on the rise. The main reason is climate warming.
Ding Minghu said that the temperature of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau is about twice as fast as the global temperature. "This trend must also attract our attention."
Author: Hubo Feng Ren Global Times reporter Shao Yijia