Disaster Risk Reduction Lessons from February ۷, ۲۰۲۱ Flash Flood in Uttarakhand Province of India

۲۰۴ people were killed, while two hydropower projects located in close proximity to Rini (۱۳.۲ MW) and Tapoban (۵۲۰ MW) were severely damaged in Dhauliganga flood of February ۷, ۲۰۲۱, in the Indian Himalaya.In addition, it caused massive loss of farm animals, agricultural land, property and infrastructure. This incidence occurred during winter when the discharge of glacier fed rivers is minimal, and there was no rain in the region around the time of the flood. Based on a detailed review of post-disaster search and rescue efforts, and bottlenecks faced by disaster managers, several solutions are recommended by the author:  (i) scientific documentation of past catastrophic events, (ii) detailed assessment of the risk posed by various hazards, (iii) legally binding disaster risk assessment, and a reduction method for major infrastructure projects, (iv) robust, reliable and redundant warning generation and dissemination infrastructure, (v) diversification of assets, and (vi) creating a dedicated cadre of DRR (Disaster Risk Management) professions.

Keywords:

Himalaya , flash flood , landslide dam , landslide lake outburst flood (LLOF) , dam breach