Tsarap River

Coordinates: 32°41′53″N 77°53′25″E / 32.69796°N 77.890177°E / 32.69796; 77.890177
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Tsarap River
Tsarap Chu
Tsarap River at village Char
Location
Country India
StateLadakh
RegionZanskar
DistrictKargil
Physical characteristics
Source32°41′53″N 77°53′25″E / 32.69796°N 77.890177°E / 32.69796; 77.890177
 • locationPankpo La, Sarchu
 • elevation4,650 m (15,260 ft)
Stod River together forms Zanskar River at Padum Zanskar
 • elevation
3,485 m (11,434 ft)
Length182 km (113 mi)
Discharge 
 • average208 m3/s (7,300 cu ft/s)
Basin features
Tributaries 
 • left
Stod River

Tsarap River, also known as Tsarap Chu, forms the eastern part of the Zanskar valley, in the Ladakh union territory of India. The 182 km (113 mi) long river is used for irrigation in riparian villages, and for adventure sports by tourists.

Geography

Tsarap River near Purne below the confluence with the Kargiakh

The Tsarap River has its

Stod River at a confluence near Padum, the capital of Zanskar. Together, these two rivers form the Zanskar River, a tributary of the Indus River.[4]

The Tsarap River contributes to the minimal agricultural production of the Zanskar valley, mainly to the lower areas of Chia, by providing irrigation to the fields of

Zojila, which results in the valley being cut off during winter from rest of the state, with the river freezing during this season. The river source at Pankpo La near Sarchu lies 255 kilometres (158 mi) southeast from the nearest airport of Leh. The Tsarap River is famous for adventure sports. Rafting events are organised in the Tsarap, Stod and the Zanskar rivers.[6]

Landslide dam

Alchi Hydroelectric Power Project down the river
Satellite image of the Tsarap River in December 2014 before the landslide
Satellite image of the Tsarap River in January 2015 showing the landslide and lake building up. In addition, the river is frozen and is covered in snow

A lake was formed on the Tsarap River due to a

Alchi Hydroelectric Power Project downriver reported a drop in water level. The dam created by the debris was 60 metres (200 ft) high, 90 metres (300 ft) wide and 600 metres (2,000 ft) long[7] and the artificial lake was at 80% of the height of the debris. As of 1 February 2015, the artificial lake formed behind the dam was nearly 14 kilometres (8.7 mi) long and covered about 110 hectares of land.[8][9][10]

The barrier was believed to be fine-grained, with boulders having a narrow crest. A report submitted by local authorities prohibited the use of explosives to clear the debris, for fear that it would trigger more landslides and aggravate the situation. They called on the National Disaster Management Authority for assessment of the situation.[10] According to the deputy collector of Zanskar, "The lake has been created around 90 km from the Padam area of Zanskar and beyond 43 km no one can go by foot. After consulting all local engineers, including Army engineers, we were not able to do anything".[11] On 20 February 2015, the National Disaster Management Authority submitted a report after a ground survey. The committee, headed by the Union Cabinet Secretary, deployed a team at the site to carry out controlled blasting and manual work to allow channelized flow of water.[12]

The severe temperatures in the region, below -20 °C, had frozen the lake and chances of a breach would rise with a temperature increase in the following days. Authorities closed down the old

Chadar Trek, and airlifted the people stranded therein to safer places. People living downstream of Tsarap were also warned to move to higher ground. Control rooms were set up at Padum and Phuktal to keep watch on the situation.[8][9][13][10]

References

  1. ISBN 978-969-35-0104-9
    . Retrieved 18 August 2012.
  2. ISBN 978-81-7387-117-7
    . Retrieved 18 August 2012.
  3. ISBN 978-81-89449-00-1
    . Retrieved 18 August 2012.
  4. ISBN 81-7387-169-8
    .
  5. ISBN 978-81-208-1432-5
    . Retrieved 18 August 2012.
  6. ISBN 978-0-471-79434-9
    . Retrieved 18 August 2012.
  7. ^ Phuktal River Blockade (Zanskar Region), Kargil District, Jammu & Kashmir
  8. ^ a b "Zanskar landslide DC Kargil chairs an emergency review meeting". KashmirLife.net. February 2015. Retrieved 1 February 2015.
  9. ^ a b "Landslide in Northern India". EarthObservatory.NASA. 27 January 2015. Retrieved 1 February 2015.
  10. ^ a b c "New images of the landslide on the Tsarap River". American Geophysical Union. 27 January 2015. Retrieved 3 February 2015.
  11. ^ "The landslide on the Tsarap River in the Zanskar Valley". American Geophysical Union. 22 January 2015. Retrieved 3 February 2015.
  12. ^ "Phutkal River Blockade". GreaterKashmir.com. Retrieved 27 February 2015.
  13. ^ "Phutkal River Blockade". GreaterKashmir.com. Retrieved 1 February 2015.
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