On 5 August 2025, the soil and water flood in Dharali village of Uttarkashi district of Uttarakhand caused havoc. This incident not only took away the lives of the people, but also forced scientists to think. In this article, we will understand the River Morphology and the direction of flood in easy language. We will also see why some houses remain left? Some were completely destroyed? Let us open this mystery based on scientific facts and research.
Dharali river and its size
Dharali villages are situated on the banks of Kheer Ganga and Bhagirathi, which flow in the foothills of the Himalayas. Rivers when MountainIf it turns into two, then their size is divided into two parts …
Also read: The secret of the destruction of Dharali … Are the patterns of cloudburst in the hot Himalayas?
Convex Side and Concave Side. This is a fundamental law of river science. In the picture you can see that the Kheer is a convex part of the river, where there is the outer bank of the river. On the other side, the concave part, where the river is the inner body.
Scientific facts: According to a research by the National Institute of Hydrology, Roorkee, water speed and pressure is more on the convex side at the turn of the river. Due to this, erosion of soil and rocks occurs rapidly. At the same time, the speed of water on the Concaked side is slow, due to which soil and pebbles accumulate.
Effect: Due to this rule, the houses of the Convex side were completely demolished during the flood in Dharali, while the houses of Conkev Side were safe.
Scrutinia
When the river turns, the flow of water is faster towards the Convex side. This strong current uproots soil and rocks, which is called geo-cutting. On the other hand, due to low speed of water on the Concaked side, debris accumulates there, which makes a kind of natural wall.
Scientific facts: A study (Journal of Himalayan Geology, 2022) reported that the erosion on the convex side of the bend in the Himalayan rivers is 2-3 times more, especially when there is heavy rains or inundation conditions. The same was seen in Dharali – the houses were swept away on the Convex side, while the houses built on the Conkev side remained.
5 August 2025 incident: In this disaster, soil and water flooded down from the convex side of the Kheer river, which destroyed the houses there. The houses built on the concave side stopped the debris, so that they were safe.
Geographical Structure of Dharali: Causes of Danger
The soil and rocks of Dharali are very old (about 54 million years) and loose, made of aluvial soil (sand, gravel and debris). This soil flows easily during heavy rain or flood.
Scientific facts: According to research by the Wadia Institute of Himalayan Geology, the layers of alluvial clay on the Himalayas are deep up to 1-2 meters, which promote landslides and floods. The steep slopes of Dharali (30-40 degrees) further increase this danger.
Effect: When heavy rains occurred on August 5, this loose soil slipped from the Convex side and came down and took the form of flood. The natural deposits of the Concaked side helped to stop it to some extent.
Climate change contribution
Climate change is also a major reason for the disaster in Dharali. The rain pattern is changing in the Himalayas due to rising temperature. Incidents of heavy rains are increasing.
Scientific facts: According to the 2023 report by the International Center for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD), the rain may increase by 15% due to increasing temperature every 1 degree Celsius in the Himalayas. This increases the risk of cloudburst and flash flood.
Effect: Dharli probably covered a cloud above 3,000 meters, causing debris and water to shed downwards. This incident did not come in the record of IMD, because in high altitude areas Season There are no stations.
Also read: Cloud burst, “Cloud burst, the glacier broken or any other reason?
Solution: Lesson for future
Some steps can be taken to avoid incidents like Dharali …
Study of river science: Creation should be done by understanding the risk of rivers and the risk of geopolitics. The concave side can be considered a safe area.
Weather Monitoring: Weather stations and satellite systems should be installed in high altitude areas, so that warnings of cloudbursts are found first.
sustainable developement: Make houses and roads keeping in mind the risk of seismic and land disorder.
Jungle protection: Soil erosion can be prevented by saving forests.
awareness: Local people should train disaster management.
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