Uttarkashi Cloudburst: Kheer Ganga has returned to its old place, scientists clarified based on satellite images

Posted on 8th Aug 2025 by rohit kumar

In the pain of Dharali, we can see man's big mistake in not understanding nature. Of course, the devastation caused by Kheer Ganga has destroyed the human settlement, but nature is not to be blamed for this.

 

It is normal for such incidents to happen in the high Himalayan regions; the same happened in Kheer Ganga. What is unusual is that we stood in the way of nature. The satellite images released by ISRO till now show that the debris that came in the flood, spread and settled in the original catchment of Kheer Ganga.

 

According to senior geologist and HOD of Geology Department of HNB Garhwal Central University, Prof MPS Bisht, the catchment of Kheer Ganga is spread from 50 to 100 meters in the lower region. This area is directly connected to the glacier of Shrikanth Mountain through Kheer Ganga with a steep slope.

 

This makes it clear that whatever settlement happened in the lower region, it was done on top of the debris that came decades ago, just like the present. Now the debris has spread again in the same catchment area. If we look at it this way, the river has taken back its old area.

 

That is, Kheerganga has returned to its original form. A similar story is of Harshil valley, one kilometer ahead of Dharali. However, there was no damage due to the lack of population there.

 

Prof. Bisht warns that no construction should be done in the original catchment area of Kheer Ganga in Dharali. This is also a new lesson for us that nature can take back its area from us anytime. The government will have to map the entire area filled with debris in Dharali and ban construction there. So that we do not have to suffer the pain of Dharali again.

 

This is Cartosat-3

Cartosat-3 is a high-capacity satellite that provides detailed images of the Earth's surface. Its features are as follows.

 

Panchromatic resolution: 0.25 m (or 25 cm), which makes it one of the highest resolution imaging satellites in the world.

Multispectral resolution: One meter (or 1.13 meters according to some sources), consisting of four spectral bands.

 

Cartosat-3 images can be used for various applications.

 

Urban planning: Large-scale mapping and resource management

 

Rural resource development: Infrastructure development and land use planning

 

Disaster management: Assessment of natural disasters such as earthquakes, floods, and landslides

 

Defence applications: Strategic surveillance and border security

Other news