Lake forms on Rishiganga river in Uttarakhand, alert sounded

Aerial view shows washed away Tapovan hydel power project plant after Sunday`s glacier burst, in Chamoli district of Uttarakhand. Pic/PTI

The Uttarakhand government on Friday sounded an alert after satellite images detected the formation of a large lake in the catchment area of the turbulent Rishiganga river which had caused a deluge on February 7.

"We have to remain alert as satellite pictures show formation of a 400 metre long lake at Rishiganga," Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat said.

Top government officials said people have been asked not to go near Rishiganga river and take all precautions.

On the other hand, the government also sent a team to see the formation of the lake and suggest measures. The team comprising personnel of the National Disaster Response Force and State Disaster Response Force personnel will trek through the tough terrain to take the first hand information of the lake formation in the higher altitudes of the Himalayas.

"This team will trek to see exact location of the lake and submit a report in this regard," state police spokesman, DIG Nilesh Anand Bharne, said.

The government has also asked scientists of the Wadia Institute of Himalayan Geology and the Geological Survey of India to depute teams to Rishiganga valley to make a detailed report on the lake's formation.

Reports pouring in from different areas of Chamoli district said the flow of Rishiganga has abruptly increased many times since Thursday afternoon that also forced the authorities to suspend the search operation inside the disaster-hit tunnel of NTPC's 520 MW Tapovan-Vishnugad hydel project. Rishiganga is a tributary of Dhauliganga river on which the Tapovan project is being built.

Since Thursday morning, villagers around Rishganga project which was destroyed in the heavy floods had been complaining to the district administration about the formation of the lake.

"The people in our Reni village are very scared ever since they heard about this lake. We hope the administration will take necessary steps in this regard," said Bhagwan Singh, village pradhan of Reni. "We are having sleepless nights," said Ashish Rawat of Saldhar village which lies close to the Rishiganga.

The village pradhan, said some people in Reni which was badly affected by the disaster are so terrified that they are not going homes even in the night and sleeping in cold wintery nights in higher areas.

Congress General Secretary Harish Rawat has also asked the government to take prompt steps on the lake formation issue. Over 200 persons went missing after the deluge last Sunday morning that had hit the two hydel projects in Chamoli district.

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