As Army battles deaths, MoD guns for new system to predict avalanches

Ajay Banerjee

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, February 3

A rise in winter temperature coupled with unusual amounts of snowfall have made the mountain slopes in Jammu and Kashmir risk-prone with 20 Army troops dying due to avalanches this year alone in just over a month.

The Centre has asked the Chandigarh-headquartered Snow and Avalanche Study Establishment (SASE) to study the phenomena and prepare a detailed report on what all are new vulnerable spots needing mitigation measures. The SASE predicts avalanches and suggest preventive measures.

The 20 deaths have occurred in three separate avalanches all in northern part of the Kashmir valley. Last year in February, an ice avalanche killed 10 troops atop the Siachen glacier. 

Minister for State for Defence Subhash Bhambre today informed the Lok Sabha in a written reply: “The DRDO (Defence Research and Development Organisation) is working on four projects to develop new technologies for more accurate prediction of avalanches.”

A rise in minimum and maximum temperatures in winter has led to at least three immediate off-shoots — The quantum of snowfall has doubled, winter is setting in late and thirdly, the rise in minimum temperature is not allowing the snow to freeze into hard ice. Thus, snow remains moist, resulting in slippery slopes that are avalanche-prone. The DRDO/SASE have 56 high altitude observatories and 55 automatic weather stations in Uttarakhand, Himachal and J&K. 

Further, avalanche-related forecast specific for Army is drawn by DRDO from its five avalanche mitigation centres, which have teams of SASE stationed alongside Army.