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Satellites Reveal Cause of Uttarakhand Flood That Devastated Hydroelectric Dams

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Re: Satellites Reveal Cause of Uttarakhand Flood That Devastated Hydroelectric Dams

#11
I spent 2 years on a motorbike all over Northern Vietnam / Cambodia / Laos. The number of hydro dams being built by these countries (and China) in the region along the Mekong is insane.

They already feel the effects from this... in the summer the rivers dry up to the point that you're driving a motorbike across dry lake beds and in the winter (aka: rainy season) there is massive landslides and the dams break and wash away villages.

From what I can tell, it is less about blaming the dam and more about the thirst for power and complete disregard for how we go about getting it. It is a complete eco disaster.

Re: Satellites Reveal Cause of Uttarakhand Flood That Devastated Hydroelectric Dams

#12

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's a generally poorly written article, with a lot of speculation and short on facts. I particularly dislike the way it starts "Sunday, an flood..." Which Sunday? What date?

The moment I observe an article overzealously relying on direct quotes and anecdotes of everyone the 'reporter' was able to get their hands on, it's tab close time.

Like the news articles that have done nothing but gather random tweets from people? Journalism has become a joke of itself

Re: Satellites Reveal Cause of Uttarakhand Flood That Devastated Hydroelectric Dams

#14
> The disaster draws attention to the controversial hydropower projects

Why is this the subheading of the article? All the speculation regarding the actual flood is a glacier breaking away and falling 2km on valley floor triggering landslides and sudden water release. So, why choose to focus on something which many initially incorrectly identified as the reason for destruction.

I am not saying we should not focus on this and the highway construction happening there, as there actually are some valid concerns about them; but seems like a poor thing conflating these two.

Also, most of these new dams in the upper reaches are not the massive water holding barrages that cause ecological destruction. Most of them hold little or no water. They are constructed on the route of a river to funnel water through a tunnel to the turbines that is used to generate power.

Re: Satellites Reveal Cause of Uttarakhand Flood That Devastated Hydroelectric Dams

#15
post #9

The Feb 07 flood in India [1] was first thought to be a burst glacial lake but: > Other reports have suggested that satellite images imply that a landslide may have triggered the events... In satellite images, a 0.5 mi (0.80 km) scar is visible on the slopes of the Nanda Ghunti, a peak on the southwestern rim of the Nanda Devi sanctuary, a wall of mountains surrounding the Nanda Devi massif. [1] https://en.wikipedia.…

I was under the impression that while the exact time of a landslide is hard to predict, it is relatively easy to predict that an area of land might suffer landslides. (ie. by looking at the angle of every layer of rock and looking for any that are near their critical slippage angle)

Surely that is checked for all land surrounding any hydro project, and the land stabilized with piles or grout before the hydro project starts?

Re: Satellites Reveal Cause of Uttarakhand Flood That Devastated Hydroelectric Dams

#16
This is hardly above the nebulous drivel of the articles that popped up during the week of the flood, just dressed up with a professional veneer. It manages to sneak in a clickbait headline, and despite the promise, you don't get to find out the cause, just three contributing theories. Also, did you know dams are bad?

The terrain in these Himalayan states is rough. Steep river valleys, no flat land, and towns clinging to cliffsides. They're vulnerable to floods every day. If anything, dams alter the risk profile dramatically, increasing the impact of the rarest of floods but greatly reducing their frequency. And, they generate soot-free, low-carbon electricity from these rivers that are hardly ecological havens: they're the upper tributaries of some of the most polluted rivers on the planet.

Altering the natural environment is always a trade-off we should examine and justify. But in this instance, they add up. Without the dams, an identical flood would've resulted in at least as many casualties, and that will continue to be the case until you build even bigger dams whose reservoirs provide more cushion against freak floods, melt, and landslides, and/or until you banish people from their homes in towns that dot these deep gorges at a great socioeconomic cost.

The environmental risks are an inseparable part of the region. You can't wish the possibility of all landslides away, the glaciers can misbehave as long as they exist (and we want them to exist), and the topography and the settlement patterns will remain vulnerable to floods. Only abandonment, damming, or relocating the towns to flattened ridgelines stand a chance to improve outcomes for its people, and all of these come at high cost and involve major trade-offs.

Re: Satellites Reveal Cause of Uttarakhand Flood That Devastated Hydroelectric Dams

#17

> The disaster draws attention to the controversial hydropower projects Why is this the subheading of the article? All the speculation regarding the actual flood is a glacier breaking away and falling 2km on valley floor triggering landslides and sudden water release. So, why choose to focus on something which many initially incorrectly identified as the reason for destruction. I am not saying we should not focus on…

Further in the article it explains that communities often form around the remote dams, bringing people closer to the rivers, and increasing the body count when something like this happens.

Re: Satellites Reveal Cause of Uttarakhand Flood That Devastated Hydroelectric Dams

#19

> The disaster draws attention to the controversial hydropower projects Why is this the subheading of the article? All the speculation regarding the actual flood is a glacier breaking away and falling 2km on valley floor triggering landslides and sudden water release. So, why choose to focus on something which many initially incorrectly identified as the reason for destruction. I am not saying we should not focus on…

Further in the article it explains that communities often form around the remote dams, bringing people closer to the rivers, and increasing the body count when something like this happens.

But that has nothing to do with the dam itself. That should be regulated by the state authorities. Living close to rivers in such fragile places is not a good idea.

Back in 2013, roughly the same place witnessed ~6000 deaths in floods. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2013_North_India_floods

Re: Satellites Reveal Cause of Uttarakhand Flood That Devastated Hydroelectric Dams

#20

> The disaster draws attention to the controversial hydropower projects Why is this the subheading of the article? All the speculation regarding the actual flood is a glacier breaking away and falling 2km on valley floor triggering landslides and sudden water release. So, why choose to focus on something which many initially incorrectly identified as the reason for destruction. I am not saying we should not focus on…

Big oil has been funding anti - nuclear and anti - hydro efforts for years.

The truth is that far more people die from pollution from fossil fuels than have ever died from nuclear or hydro.

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