Episode 21: Chaos and death following a glacier collapse in the Himalayas

Last week, part of a glacier fell in Uttarakhand, a state in northern India that is recognized for its beauty. The collapse pushed rushing flood water through a dam, claiming lives and damaging two hydroelectric plants. At the time of this episode’s airing, nearly 40 people have been confirmed dead and 170 are missing. And while tragic, Uttarakhand residents have been sounding the alarm of flood risk for several decades. In 2013, a devastating flood killed nearly 6,000 people. It hasn’t yet been determined what caused the glacier to break in the most recent flooding, but leading speculation points to global warming and/or continually growing infrastructure that supports increasing numbers of tourists.

Article: Famous for its tree huggers, village at center of India glacier collapse warned of impending disaster for decades. No one listened: https://www.cnn.com/2021/02/12/asia/india-glacier-raini-village-chipko-intl-hnk/index.html

Article: 140 are missing after glacier breaks in India’s Himalayas: https://apnews.com/article/mountains-floods-india-glaciers-asia-pacific-5c42b2adb9437d4120fdf9de344b198f

Music Provided by: Intro - https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Jahzzar/Tumbling_Dishes_Like_Old-Mans_Wishes/Green_Lights Outro - https://audionautix.com/