Large chunks washed into Bhagirathi River after the incessant rainfall between July 14 and 16
The snout of Gaumukh, Gangotri, one of the holiest pilgrimage sites for Hindus and the source of River Bhagirathi, is changing.
According to Wadia Institute of Himalayan Geology (WIHG) scientists, around 3-3.5 feet of ice from Gaumukh was washed into the Bhagirathi River due to the incessant rains between July 14 and July 16. They attribute it to anomalies in temperatures and decreased snowfall.
Though snout collapses and receding glaciers are nothing new, what is alarming is the extent of the collapse this year.
“There were large chunks of ice from Gaumukh that were reportedly found downstream near the Gangotri temple,” said Sameer Tiwari, scientist, Centre for Glaciology, WIHG. “Last winter, there was not much snowfall around the glaciers. It was just around 4-5 feet. The rainfall in June and July has been heavy and temperature anomalies have led to warmer weather,” he said.
However, Professor Milap Chand Sharma of the Jawaharlal Nehru University, an authority on Gangotri glaciers and Gaumukh, contests the snowfall theory. “In higher altitudes, there has been enough snowfall during last winter and the quantum of snowfall does not have much to do with these collapses. Snowfall takes years to convert into ice,” he said.
Sharma said that the “washing away” of ice is known as “frontal collapses”. “Over the years, there has been fragmentation in the frontal part of the Gaumukh and it has developed a lot of crevices. Frontal collapses in Gaumukh are a normal occurrence and it will go back 100 metres before stabilisation,” he said.
So, what is the way out? Environmental activist Mallika Bhanot says that Uttarakhand government can do more. It needs to implement stipulations of eco-sensitive zones around sensitive glaciers and forests, she says.
The state government has indeed taken some steps. Anthropogenic activities around the Gangotri glacier, Gaumukh and neighbouring downstream regions have resulted in regulations on movement of trekkers and pilgrims.
The state now allows only 150 people to visit the site after winter.
This move is also not without its share of critics. Some scientists have debated the direct impact of human activity on retreating of glaciers and have criticised the move.
Decreased snowfall, temperature anomalies or human activity, whatever be the cause, the seat of goddess Ganga is under threat.
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