doi: 10.3850/S1793924013002824

Lessons learnt from the Deluge of Kedarnath, Uttarakhand, India

Piyoosh Rautela Disaster Mitigation and Management Centre, Department of Disaster Management, Uttarakhand Secretariat, Dehradun – 248 001 Uttarakhand, India. rautelapiyoosh@gmail.com

ABSTRACT

Around 4094 personswentmissing in the hydro -metrological disaster that struckMandakini valley of Higher Himalaya in Rudraprayag district of Uttarakhand, India in June, 2013. The disaster took place in two phases; in the evening hours of 16 June, 2013 breach of landslide dammed lake formed close to KedarnathonMandakini river ravaged Rambara and Gaurikund while in the morning hours of 17 June, 2013 breach of the glacial lake, Chorabari Tal, devastated temple township of Kedarnath. Disruption of communication and adverse weather and terrain conditions complicated the situation and people could not be rescued in time. This paper is an attempt to reconstruct the sequence of events as also to highlight the constraints faced on ground. Lessons learnt from this tragedy can help in smooth lining various disaster management related functions for future.

Keywords: Flood, Kedarnath, Uttarakhand, Mandakini, Chorabari Tal, Glacial lake.

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