Experts Point to Glacier Melt as Likely Cause of Deadly Flood

A devastating surge of muddy water that ravaged an Indian Himalayan town this week is believed to have been triggered by a rapidly melting glacier, a phenomenon intensified by the escalating impacts of climate change. The disaster unfolded in Uttarakhand state, where the town of Dharali was struck on Tuesday.

The torrent of water and debris carved through a narrow mountain valley, leaving a trail of destruction in its wake. Videos captured the harrowing moments as people fled the approaching waves, which uprooted buildings and submerged others in freezing sludge. The incident has resulted in confirmed fatalities, with a significant number of individuals still unaccounted for.

Initially, government officials attributed the flood to an intense "cloudburst" of rain. However, experts examining the aftermath suggest that this was merely the final catalyst, building upon days of sustained rainfall that had already saturated and destabilized the ground.

According to PK Joshi, a Himalayan hazards expert from Jawaharlal Nehru University in New Delhi, the flood likely originated from the collapse of debris, known as moraine, which had dammed a lake of meltwater from a retreating glacier. He indicated that a glacial lake outburst flood (GLOF) or the collapse of a moraine-dammed lake is suspected as the primary cause. This would have resulted in a sudden and powerful flash flood. The upstream glacial terrain, according to Joshi, contained "unstable sediment zones." The exact source of the debris remains difficult to pinpoint due to cloud cover obstructing satellite imagery, and Joshi emphasized the lack of sufficient satellite data for definitive confirmation.