Landslides Block Badrinath National Highway | 04 Sep 2024
Why in News?
Recently, a landslide blocked the Jyotirmath-Malari road, which connects to the India-China border, as well as the Karnaprayag-Gwaldam national highway.
Key Points
- Landslides triggered by heavy rain have blocked the highway at Pagalnala, Patalganga, and Nandaprayag.
- Jyotirmath-Malari Road: A high mountain road within the Nanda Devi National Park, linking Jyotirmath (1,934 m) and Malari (3,033 m).
- Extremely steep with numerous hairpin turns along the Dhauliganga River, subjected to periodic damage from winter snow, ice, and river flooding.
- Dhauliganga: It originates from Vasudhara Tal, perhaps the largest glacial lake in Uttarakhand.
- Dhauliganga is one of the important tributaries of Alaknanda, the other being the Nandakini, Pindar, Mandakini and Bhagirathi.
- It merges with the Alaknanda at Vishnuprayag.
- Nanda Devi National Park: Situated around the peak of Nanda Devi (7,816 m) in Uttarakhand, India; includes the Nanda Devi Sanctuary, a glacial basin surrounded by peaks and drained by the Rishi Ganga.
- Established as Sanjay Gandhi National Park in 1982, renamed Nanda Devi National Park; inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1988.
Landslide
- A landslide is the movement of rock, earth, or debris down a slope due to gravity, often triggered by factors such as heavy rain, earthquakes, or the instability of the slope. It results in the displacement of material, which can lead to significant damage and destruction.