Floods in Sutlej Made in China

Floods in Sutlej made in China
Message: 2
Date: Mon, 11 Jul 2005 06:05:07 -0000
From: "riverswatch2003" <[email protected]>
Subject: Floods in Sutlej, made in China: Sudhirendar Sharma
Floods in Sutlej, made in China
An early warning by China on impending floods in the Sutlej river

helped avert major loss to human lives in June. Yet, India's disaster
preparedness plans have been found wanting. {India still does not have
reliable information from China about glacial lakes that are prone to
flooding the Himalayan rivers, writes Sudhirendar Sharma.
11 July 2005 - After flooding the markets with its cheap goods, China
has now become the cause for recurrent floods in India. The Pareechhu
(glacial lake on the Pareechhu river in China, a tributary of Sutlej)
disaster may slip into hydrological history but the chances of flash
floods will continue to haunt the lower riparian region across the
border in Himachal Pradesh. With flash floods having ravaged the
entire region twice in the past five years, the diplomatic failure in
engaging the Chinese into sharing vital data on river hydrology within
its territory seems glaringly evident.}
Five years ago, on the fateful night of 1 August 1, 2000, a 50-ft

high wall of water in the Sutlej river had swept away 200 people from
Kinnaur and Shimla districts in Himachal Pradesh. Caught unaware, the
government had dismissed the incident as freak natural phenomena
caused by cloudbursts. China too had attributed the floods in Sutlej
to 'natural' causes on the Indian side. It was ISRO scientists who
stunned and corrected that view with a detailed study of satellite
data. Had it not been for them, the attribution to cloud bursts would
have sustained, as before.
This time, an early warning by China on the impending disaster brewing

behind the glacial lake formed in July 2004 on the Pareechhu river
helped avert major loss to human lives. Yet, the country's disaster
preparedness plans have been found wanting on several fronts. No
sooner had the flood waters receded in the river, the government
covered-up its shortcomings by announcing that the situation has been
under control as the 'worst is over'.
Pareechhu lake may have vanished and flood waters in Sutlej may have
receded but the worst is far from over. Given the geological rumblings
and the changing climate in the Himalayas, rivers often carry the
brunt of such abrupt variations in the upper reaches of the
treacherous mountains. Two disasters in quick successions in the
Sutlej basin are indications enough that the {334 glaciers in the river
basin may be in a state of grave unrest.
Secrets of this river basis lay embedded in the mountains. The

Pareechhu river which starts as a trickle on the upper reaches of the
Himalayas within the Indian territory, re-emerges like a dinosaur a
few kilometres later after meandering inside the Chinese territory.
'Whatever might happen to the river inside our territory is nobody's
concern', China seems to reiterate stubbornly and frequently. Neither
does China permit experts to conduct surveys inside its territory nor
does it share hydrological data.
The politics of dominance is evident! China does to India what India

does to Pakistan and Bangladesh, hiding vital hydrological data on the
transboundary rivers like the Indus and the Ganges as defence secret.
However, locked up in this secret are 24 glacial lakes which are as
vulnerable as Pareechhu lake, ready to burst at their seams at the
slightest of climatic provocations. The signs are ominous!}
Using global climate data, the Washington-based Worldwatch Institute

had for long warned that the rivers originating in the Himalayas are
expected to swell abnormally and then fall to dangerously low levels.
Basing its argument on the fact that the Himalayan glaciers were
rapidly melting, the report had also warned about the possibility of
sudden bursting of glacial lakes due to above normal discharge. Those
warnings have already come true.
Some diplomatic manoeuvring has been underway in the recent past for
sharing hydrological information but there is no evidence of data
exchange during the recent floods. Reports indicate that in the
absence of any authentic information on the depth of the Pareechhu
lake, Indian authorities were continuously making guess estimates to
gauze the actual impact. That the glacial lake was 123 hectares in
size was long known from satellite imageries, it was the depth of the
lake which was an area of concern.
Sutlej floods go beyond the conventional framework of flood

mitigation and disaster management. From contentious cross-border
diplomacy to abrupt climatic change and from transboundary water
sharing to impending ecological destruction, these flash floods
spillover to plug hydroelectric power production in the hills
alongside reducing reservoir storage capacity downstream as well. The
fact that these floods have started occurring frequently adds to the
water woes.
The 1,500 MW Nathpa-Jhakri Hydroelectric Power Station on the banks of

Sutlej has had to shut down four times, since the first silt deluge in
the river in 1993, due to such floods. Precariously located along the
swirling waters of the rivers, the power plant may well be the first
victim should glacial lakes in the upper reaches breach again. The
Gobind Sagar reservoir feeding the legendary Bhakra Hydroelectric
Station is the next victim as the river empties near 5000 ppm (50
grams of silt per litre of water) of sediment load in the already
shrinking dam.
New Delhi's handling of the present crisis will determine the depth of
its understanding. {From Himachal Pradesh in the north to Arunachal
Pradesh in the east, there are rivers that have their basins hidden in
our neighbour's territory. Unless deft diplomatic handling brings the
upper riparian nation to the negotiating table, India will be at the
receiving end of the disasters that are waiting to happen. However,
much will also depend on how indeed India positions itself as an upper
riparian to other neighbours.}
Th author was formerly with the World Bank, is a water expert and
Director of the Delhi-based Ecological Foundation.

Floods in Sutlej Made in China

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Floods in Sutlej made in China

Floods in Sutlej, made in China

An early warning by China on impending floods in the Sutlej river

Five years ago, on the fateful night of 1 August 1, 2000, a 50-ft

This time, an early warning by China on the impending disaster brewing

Secrets of this river basis lay embedded in the mountains. The

The politics of dominance is evident! China does to India what India

Using global climate data, the Washington-based Worldwatch Institute

Sutlej floods go beyond the conventional framework of flood

The 1,500 MW Nathpa-Jhakri Hydroelectric Power Station on the banks of

Director of the Delhi-based Ecological Foundation.

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