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{{short description|Floods in Ladakh, India}}
{{EngvarB|date=January 2014}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2014}}
{{Infobox flood
| name = 2010 Ladakh floods
| image location = Skyu 2010.jpg
| image name =
| image alt text = Near Leh, the village of Skyu in Markha valley
| duration = 6 August 2010
| total damages = Rs. 1.33 billion<ref name="DisasterPlan">{{Cite web |url=http://leh.nic.in/Disester%20Management%20Leh.pdf |title=Archived copy |access-date=18 May 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120303221707/http://leh.nic.in/Disester%20Management%20Leh.pdf |archive-date=3 March 2012 |url-status=dead |df=dmy-all }}</ref>
| total damages (USD) = 24.8 million
| total fatalities = at least 255 killed, 29 missing<ref name="DisasterPlan" />
| injured = at least 220<ref name="DisasterPlan" />

| areas affected = [[Leh]], and numerous other villages in the [[Ladakh]] Range
}}
The '''2010 Ladakh floods''' occurred on 6 August 2010 across a large part of [[Ladakh]], then part of the state of [[Jammu and Kashmir (state)|Jammu and Kashmir]]. 71 towns and villages were damaged, including the main town in the area, [[Leh]].<ref name="DisasterPlan" /><ref name="Hobley">Hobley, D.E.J., et al., 2012, Reconstruction of a major storm event from its geomorphic signature: The Ladakh floods, 6 August 2010, Geology, v. 40, p. 483-486, doi:10.1130/G32935.1</ref> At least 255 people are reported to have died,<ref name="DisasterPlan" /><ref name="mac">{{cite news|title=137 dead, more than 400 missing in Indian Kashmir floods|url=http://www.monstersandcritics.com/news/southasia/news/article_1576204.php/137-dead-more-than-400-missing-in-Indian-Kashmir-floods|access-date=8 August 2010|newspaper=Monsters and Critics|date=8 August 2010|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130104035211/http://news.monstersandcritics.com/southasia/news/article_1576204.php/137-dead-more-than-400-missing-in-Indian-Kashmir-floods|archive-date=4 January 2013|url-status=dead|df=dmy-all}}</ref> six of whom were foreign tourists,<ref name="DisasterPlan" /><ref name="Bodeen">{{cite news|last=Bodeen|first=Christopher|title=Asia flooding plunges millions into misery|url=https://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5jLQ5AssQ1MzPfWcFQRV8ZeJhjctQD9HFBA400|access-date=8 August 2010|publisher=Associated Press|date=8 August 2010| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20100904101109/https://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5jLQ5AssQ1MzPfWcFQRV8ZeJhjctQD9HFBA400| archive-date= 4 September 2010 | url-status= live}}</ref> after a [[cloudburst]] and heavy overnight rains triggered [[flash flood]]s, [[mudflow]]s, and [[debris flow]]s.<ref name="Hobley" /><ref name="nyt20100806">{{cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/07/world/asia/07kashmir.html|title=Mudslides Kill 125 in Kashmir|last=Polgreen|first=Lydia|date=6 August 2010|work=[[The New York Times]]|access-date=6 August 2010| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20150427071144/http://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/07/world/asia/07kashmir.html| archive-date=27 April 2015| url-status= live}}</ref> 200 people were reported missing in the initial aftermath of the storm,<ref name="mac"/><ref name="Bodeen"/><ref name="Bloomberg">{{cite news|last=Wivell|first=David|title=Man trapped for 50 hours after landslides in China|url=http://www.businessweek.com/ap/financialnews/D9HGGI180.htm|access-date=10 August 2010|newspaper=Bloomberg Businessweek|date=10 August 2010}}</ref> and thousands more were rendered homeless after the flooding caused extensive damage to property and infrastructure.<ref name="bbc20100806">{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-south-asia-10889385|title=Flash floods kill dozens in India|date=6 August 2010|publisher=[[BBC]]|access-date=6 August 2010| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20100806204400/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-south-asia-10889385| archive-date= 6 August 2010 | url-status= live}}</ref> Overall, 9000 people were directly affected by the event.<ref name="DisasterPlan" />

==History==
[[Leh]] is the largest town in the [[Ladakh]] region of the Indian state of [[Jammu and Kashmir (state)|Jammu and Kashmir]]. It is on a plateau at around {{convert|3500|m}} above sea level and usually receives very little rainfall, around {{convert|100|mm}} per year.<ref name="Hobley" /><ref name="Xinhua20100806"/> Described as a "[[Leh#Climate|high-altitude cold desert]]", the area has sparse rainfall and a heavy downpour is a rare occurrence.<ref name="ap20100806">{{cite web|url=https://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5i7_dGpMHlOOvey4p70kg_XYQIfLAD9HE4D900|title=Flash floods kill 103 in Indian-held Kashmir|last=Hussain|first=Aijaz|date=6 August 2010|publisher=[[Associated Press]]|access-date=6 August 2010}}</ref> The average rainfall in Leh for the month of August is {{convert|15.4|mm}}, with highest rainfall ever recorded during a single 24-hour period being {{convert|51.3|mm}}, recorded on 22 August 1933.{{cn|date=August 2020}}

The town is predominantly Buddhist. Tourists are attracted by its natural environment.<ref name="nyt20100806"/> August is the peak tourist season when thousands of western backpackers come to the area. Leh receives about 60,000 foreign and 150,000 domestic tourists annually.<ref name="LehStats">{{Cite web |url=http://leh.nic.in/pages/leh.pdf |title=Archived copy |access-date=18 May 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130724092852/http://leh.nic.in/pages/leh.pdf |archive-date=24 July 2013 |url-status=dead |df=dmy-all }}</ref>

==Flooding and damage==

[[File:Condition of the Leh Airfield after the cloud burst, the Runway and required part for operation is already made clear.jpg|thumb|Condition of the Leh Airfield after the cloud burst, the Runway and required part for operation is already made clear.]]
[[File:Damage from floods. Leh.jpg|thumb|Damage from floods. Leh.]]
The [[flash flood]]s happened after a night of heavy downpour. The cloudburst itself occurred between 0000–0030 hours [[Indian Standard Time|IST]] on 6 August 2010, leading to flash flooding, [[debris flows]], and [[mudflow]]s over the region. The rainfall distribution was highly spatially variable. The most intense part of the storm was focused in a {{convert|6|km|adj=on}}-wide band parallel to, and a few kilometers from, the river Indus. This band was centred over most of the major settlements in the area, including Leh.<ref name="Hobley" />

Outside the band, the rainfall intensity was unremarkable; the only weather station in the area, at Leh airport, recorded just {{convert|12.8|mm}} of total rainfall for the night of 6 August.<ref>"Cloudburst over Leh", report of the Indian Meteorological Department, (url:http://www.imd.gov.in/doc/cloud-burst-over-leh.pdf {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120315191633/http://www.imd.gov.in/doc/cloud-burst-over-leh.pdf |date=15 March 2012 }}). Accessed 30 January 2011.</ref> However, within it precipitation intensities were over an order of magnitude higher, peaking at at least {{convert|150|mm/h|abbr=on}} over Leh during the most intense part of the storm.<ref name="Hobley" /> Estimates of the maximum total rainfall in some places were as high as {{convert|250|mm}}.<ref>[http://www.downtoearth.org.in/node/1872 ''Warning from Leh''], 15 September 2010. Down To Earth. Accessed 30 January 2011.)</ref> Note that the implied {{convert|75|mm}} of rain over Leh during the most intense part of the storm is equivalent to around a year's worth of rain falling in 30 minutes.
The rains occurred at night, and surprised everyone.<ref name="cnn20100806">{{cite web|url=http://www.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/asiapcf/08/06/india.flood/index.html|title=Death toll from Kashmir flooding rises to 112|last=Ahmad|first=Mukhtar|date=6 August 2010|publisher=[[CNN]]|access-date=6 August 2010| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20100806235618/http://www.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/asiapcf/08/06/india.flood/index.html| archive-date= 6 August 2010 | url-status= live}}</ref> In Leh, many buildings were destroyed including hospitals, the bus terminal, radio station transmitter, telephone exchange and mobile-phone towers. BSNL communication systems were fully destroyed. Communications were later restored by the Indian Army.<ref name="Xinhua20100806"/> The local bus station was severely damaged and some of the buses were carried more than a mile by the mud.<ref name="ap20100806"/> The city's airport was damaged but was rapidly repaired to allow relief flights the following day. The village of [[Choglamsar]] on the outskirts of the city was particularly badly hit.<ref name="nyt20100806"/>

In neighbouring valleys, large numbers of smaller villages which lay under the main rainfall band were also heavily damaged, with large numbers of casualties. As in Leh, much of the destruction was caused by debris flows coming from the rocky sidewalls of the valleys, not by the flooding itself.<ref name="Hobley" /> Notable impacts occurred in Sobu, Phyang, [[Nimu]], Nyeh, and Basgo villages. In total, almost 1500 homes in 71 settlements across the area were reported to have been damaged.<ref name="DisasterPlan" /> Detailed mapping and estimation of the entrapped sediment mass within the transverse stream valleys of various sectors of Himalaya is required to predict the style of mass transfer during such events.<ref name="Sangode et al 2017">"Sedimentary and Geomorphic Signatures of a Cloud burst and triggered flash floods in the Indus valley of Ladakh Himalaya". SSG S.J. Sangode, D.C. Meshram, S. Rawat, Y. Kulkarni, D.M. Chate. Himalayan Geology 38 (1), 12-29.</ref>

All of the estimated 3000 tourists in Leh, including 1000 foreigners were safe according to local officials.<ref name="HT20100806">{{cite web|url=http://www.hindustantimes.com/All-3-000-tourists-in-Leh-safe/Article1-583248.aspx|title=All 3,000 tourists in Leh safe|date=6 August 2010|publisher=[[Hindustan Times]]|access-date=6 August 2010|archive-url=https://www.webcitation.org/693lN5dun?url=http://www.hindustantimes.com/India-news/JAndK/All-3-000-tourists-in-Leh-safe/Article1-583248.aspx|archive-date=10 July 2012|url-status=dead|df=dmy-all}}</ref> Outside the town, six tourists were reported killed. However, official documents indicate that at least 255 local residents were killed, with a further 29 never found.<ref name="DisasterPlan" /> The true toll may have been significantly higher, perhaps more than 600 people.<ref name="Hobley" /><ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.ladakhrelief.org/downloads/Oct_2011_LR_report.pdf |title=Archived copy |access-date=22 May 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160324173603/http://ladakhrelief.org/downloads/Oct_2011_LR_report.pdf |archive-date=24 March 2016 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

==Response==
The rescue efforts were hampered by gushing water and mud which was 10 feet high in places. In addition many of the roads and bridges leading to Leh were damaged, making it difficult to truck in relief supplies.<ref name="ap20100806"/> Four hundred critically wounded people were evacuated and some were admitted to the army hospital in Leh.<ref name="Xinhua20100806">{{cite web|url=http://news.xinhuanet.com/english2010/world/2010-08/06/c_13433671.htm|title=Flash floods kill 114 in India-controlled Kashmir|last=Peerzada|first=Arshad|date=6 August 2010|publisher=[[Xinhua News Agency]]|access-date=6 August 2010| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20100807051537/http://news.xinhuanet.com/english2010/world/2010-08/06/c_13433671.htm| archive-date= 7 August 2010 | url-status= live}}</ref> [[Indian Army]] soldiers launched a massive rescue operation.<ref name="voa20100806">{{cite web|url=http://www1.voanews.com/english/news/Flash-Floods-in-Indias-Remote-Himalayan-Region-Kills-More-Than-60-100112664.html|title=Flash Floods in India's Remote Himalayan Region Kills More Than 60|last=Pasricha|first=Anjana|date=6 August 2010|publisher=[[Voice of America]]|access-date=6 August 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100806135802/http://www1.voanews.com/english/news/Flash-Floods-in-Indias-Remote-Himalayan-Region-Kills-More-Than-60-100112664.html|archive-date=6 August 2010|url-status=dead}}</ref> Home minister [[P. Chidambaram]] said that over 6,000 security personnel were deployed in Leh for rescue operations. Prime minister [[Manmohan Singh]] expressed grief and announced compensation of Rs. 100,000 to the kin of deceased and Rs. 50,000 for those injured.<ref name="Xinhua20100806"/> Chief Minister of the state [[Omar Abdullah]] directed the administration to undertake relief effort on a war footing.<ref name="aje20100806">{{cite web|url=http://english.aljazeera.net/news/asia/2010/08/20108683855593220.html|title=Flash floods devastate Kashmir town|date=6 August 2010|publisher=[[Al Jazeera English]]|access-date=6 August 2010| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20100806191651/http://english.aljazeera.net/news/asia/2010/08/20108683855593220.html| archive-date= 6 August 2010 | url-status= live}}</ref>

==See also==
*[[Ladakh Marathon]]
*[[Global storm activity of mid-2010|Global storm activity of 2010]]
*[[2008 South China floods]]
*[[2010 Pakistan floods]]
*[[2010 China floods]]
*[[Monsoon]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
*[http://vistet.wordpress.com/2011/01/12/leh-the-post-flood-report-december-2010-1/ Leh , The Post-Flood Report ( December 2010)] @ vistet.wordpress
*[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jxPunnJU3Rg Video:Leh floods: Omar visits hospital, meets victims], NDTV
*[http://www.ndtv.com/news/videos/video_player.php?id=158308 Video:Ladakh: Rebuilding lives], NDTV
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20100822150239/http://ibnlive.in.com/videos/129280/saving-leh-its-people-its-children.html Video:Saving Leh: its people, its children], CNN-IBN
*[http://wn.com/2010_Leh_floods Leh Flash Floods 2010] at WN
*[http://www.slideshare.net/cdrnnetwork/cdrn-response-for-flash-floods-relief-work-in-leh-jammu-kashmir-india-5475564 CDRN Response for Flash Floods Relief Work in Leh, Jammu & Kashmir], India Corporate Disaster Resource Network (https://web.archive.org/web/20121105042435/http://www.cdrn.org.in/)
*[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ezX-DJ9Z5w Marka valley & Leh & Choglamsar] Film of the torrential mud

{{Natural disasters in India}}
{{Disasters in India in 2010}}
{{Buddhist monasteries in Ladakh}}

{{#seo:
|keywords=Floods in India, 2010s in Jammu and Kashmir, Disasters in Jammu and Kashmir, History of Ladakh
|description=
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[[Category:2010 floods|Leh Floods, 2010]]
[[Category:2010 disasters in India|Leh Floods, 2010]]
[[Category:Floods in India]]
[[Category:Landslides in India|Ladakh floods 2010]]
[[Category:2010s in Jammu and Kashmir]]
[[Category:Disasters in Jammu and Kashmir]]
[[Category:History of Ladakh]]
[[Category:Landslides in 2010|Ladakh floods]]

2010 Ladakh floods - Revision history

MetaBOT at 17:27, 8 July 2023