Avalanche strikes near Kedarnath shrine but no damage to temple

An avalanche occurred in the Kedar Peak area of the Chorabari glacial lake region, around 6-7 kilometres away from Kedarnath shrine in Rudraprayag, on Saturday, the district administration said, adding that no loss of life or property was reported.

Explaining the incident, NS Rajwar, district disaster management officer, Rudraprayag, said, “The avalanche that hit Kedar peak in the Chorabari lake region ended in the Saraswati River gorge, and no increase in the water level has been reported that could be risky to the temple or the residents downstream,”

He added that they are keeping a close watch on the region and SDRF, NDRF police, and revenue team are monitoring the situation, he added.

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Yogendra Singh, CEO of Badrinath Kedarnath temple committee (BKTC), said, “ A powder snow avalanche was reported early morning around 6 am on Saturday, around six to seven kilometres away from Kedarnath Shrine in the Chorabari glacial lake region. No damage or rise in water level in the Saraswati River has been reported so far.”

An avalanche was also reported in the same region on September 22. However, Singh said the volume of the fresh avalanche was high compared to the one that occurred last month.

Meanwhile, the temple priests have blamed the sound of helicopters bringing in the devotees and the machines used for the construction in the area as the main cause of the frequent avalanches.

Vinod Shukla, a priest at the Kedarnath shrine, said, “Due to the tremor triggered by the loud sound of the choppers and the machines used for reconstructing the shrine area that was devastated due to Kedarnath natural calamity, the fragile glacial ecosystem is disturbed, impacting the glacier and resulting in avalanches in the region.”

Anand Shukla, another priest of the Kedarnath shrine, said, “The fresh avalanche has instilled fear among the residents, and temple priests as the memories of the Kedarnath disaster in 2013 are still afresh”.

The safety wall being constructed around Kedarnath should be strengthened further to avoid a repeat of the 2013 disaster, he said. According to the National Institute of National Disaster Management figures released in 2014, over 5000 people died in 2013 Kedarnath tragedy due to flash floods. However unconfirmed figure of death was put to more than 10000.

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Meanwhile, BKTC president Ajayendra Ajay rejected Shukla’s claims and asked pilgrims visiting the holy shrine to not worry.

“The avalanche occurred around seven kilometres away from the helipad and the machines deployed for the reconstruction work, hence the probability of the avalanche due to the vibration of sound is minimal.”

“No damage to the temple has occurred, and the shrine area is completely safe. The pilgrims visiting Shri Kedarnath Dham need not be in any way afraid of this incident,” he added.

Dr Kalachand Sain, director of Wadia Institute of Himalayan Geology, said, “The avalanche in the glacial Kedarnath region is not unusual, and the fresh snowfall in the region is a good sign for the glacier as it mitigates the glacial melting process.”

However, they are planning to send a team of scientists to assess the situation in detail and study the phenomenon further, Sain said.