Landslides and Flooding in Tibet and Ladakh
By Conrad Richter
(Updated March 21, 2011)
The summer of 2010 saw rain-related destruction affecting millions of people from Pakistan to Tibet and China. Two disasters that we monitored closely were in Tibet and northern India.
Drugchu, Tibet
Triggered by torrential rainstorms, two massive landslides plowed through the town of Zhugqu, in the Chinese province of Gansu, sometime on the night of August 7-8. The landslides tossed cars and trucks, and demolished houses. According to BBC reporter Chris Hogg, even buildings seven storeys high were "crumpled like paper" by the wall of mud. An area 5 km long by 500 m was buried by the mud, including 300 homes in the nearby village of Yueyuan. So far, a total of 1,471 people are confirmed dead and 294 are still missing. Thousands are being housed in temporary shelters.
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| Rescuers searching for victims in Drugchu,Tibet (Xinhua photo)
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Most media reports on the disaster do not mention that the area affected was once part of Tibet. Zhugqu (spelled 'Zhouqu' in media reports) is located in a mountainous region that was formerly part of the old Tibetan province of Amdo before the region was annexed to Gansu. Tibetans call the area 'Drugchu'. Under the current Chinese political system 'Zhugqu' refers to both the town and the county. The county has an area of 3,000 square km and is one of seven counties belonging to the Gannan Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture. According to the 2000 census, about 51% of the population of Gannan is Tibetan, but only 33% of Zhugqu County is Tibetan, while few Tibetans remain in the town itself. Zhugqu is 250 km southeast of Labrang, one of the most famous and influential monasteries in all of Tibet.
The wall of mud slid into the Bailong River, blocking water flow and flooding parts of the town. Behind the mud dam a lake 2.6 km long formed. The Chinese military managed to blast part of the mud dam, lowering the water levels somewhat, but 45,000 people downstream had to be evacuated in case the mud dam bursts. Roads and bridges into the area have been destroyed, hampering the rescue efforts and causing shortages of some supplies, according to the BBC. More than 7,000 soldiers, firefighters and medical staff are involved in the emergency relief effort.
Gaden Relief is monitoring the situation in Drugchu closely. So far, access to the disaster area for foreigners, including foreign reporters, is restricted by the government. As was the case in the Yushu earthquake disaster, foreign organizations may be forced to take a back seat in the relief effort, but we will review our options in the coming weeks and months to see if there is any way we can help.
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| Aerial images show Zhouqu county in north-west China before and after the landslide. The image on the left is from July 2008. The photo on the right was taken on Sunday following the disaster. The areas within the yellow lines show the path of the mud slick. (BBC)
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Leh, Ladakh
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| Survivors survey damaged houses in Leh, a day after flash flood triggered by cloudbursts swept through the area. (PTI photo)
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About a day before the Drugchu disaster, flash floods and mudslides flattened several villages and knocked out
power near the city of Leh in northern India. Worst hit was Choglamsar, a settlement of Tibetan refugees that
was wiped out completely. Other villages affected were Basgo, Nyemo, Phyang, Saboo and Shey.
According to an official report, 233 people died in the disaster and another 74 people are still missing,
likely buried under mud that was as much as 1-3 meters thick. Some 638 houses and 514 huts were completely damaged or washed away by the flood. Another
597 houses suffered partial damage.
Just before midnight on August 5, when most people were asleep, a cloudburst unleashed heavy rain over Leh
and surrounding villages. The unusual volume of water over a short time caused flooding and a rush of water
and mud down the hillsides. The momentum was so great that the sludge washed away cars, trucks, and even
trees and boulders. Mud houses and even stone houses collapsed under the great pressure, and people sleeping
inside were trapped and drowned or suffocated in the sludge. In Leh, the airport, bus station, radio and TV
station, and shops along the route of the sludge were damaged or destroyed. The local hospital was also badly
damaged and some 1500 injured people were treated in a makeshift Army hospital. A housing colony near the bus
station where many Zangskaris lived was completely destroyed. At least one cellular phone tower was knocked
out, and as the shortage of electricity makes it impossible to charge phone batteries, communications are
getting more difficult. Adding to the troubles, many crops within a 20 km radius of Leh were destroyed by the
mud.
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| | Video showing the Leh area in the aftermath of devastating flash floods. (NDTV)
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The Indian government's National Disaster Response Force was on the scene quickly directing the emergency
relief effort. Rescuers waded through mud looking for trapped people. Tourists in the area pitched in to help.
American Josh Schrei helped to dig out homes in Choglamsar. He said that houses vanished completely and
"car-sized boulders cover what used to be homes and fields. It's unbelievable."
Thankfully the ten nunneries that Gaden Relief supports in nearby Zangskar were unaffected by the rains.
How to Help
Gaden Relief established a special emergency fund to help the victims of the Ladakh disaster. We raised funds to provide long term assistance to the victims of the disaster, to help rebuild and help get the people back on their feet. If you would like to support our efforts please visit our donation page and select "Ladakh Disaster Relief".
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