Roorkee's Central Building Research Institute developing early warning system for glacier disasters: Prof Pradeep Kumar

Haridwar (Uttarakhand) [India], August 27 (ANI): Central Building Research Institute (CBRI), Roorkee, Director Prof Pradeep Kumar on Wednesday said that the institute is working on an early warning system to predict glacier-related disasters and provide alerts around one to two hours in advance.
Speaking about the recent disaster in Nepal, Prof Kumar explained that the event took place at a high altitude of over 17,000 feet and was triggered by continuous snow and glacier melting.
Kumar said that snow had melted in the affected region nearly 24 to 30 hours before the disaster, and the continued melting process eventually led to the breaking of a glacier portion, resulting in the massive disaster.
"The event occurred at an altitude of over 17,000 feet. The snow had melted around 24 to 30 hours before the disaster, and the continuous melting of the glacier eventually caused a portion of it to break off, triggering the massive disaster in Nepal," Kumar told ANI.
He further said that CBRI is currently working on the development of an early warning mechanism, with the testing phase expected to be completed soon.
"The CBRI team is working on developing an early warning system that could provide alerts approximately one to two hours before such a disaster occurs. The timely warnings could help reduce the massive damage caused by such events. CBRI is currently working on the project, and the testing process is expected to be completed soon," he added.
Meanwhile, Nepal continues to battle the aftermath of a massive flash flood following a powerful surge along the Bhote Koshi River, resulting in a devastating loss of life, widespread displacement, and extensive damage to homes, roads, bridges, hydropower facilities, and other critical infrastructure.
At least 175 people have been reported killed by the flood, while nearly 476 foreign nationals are still unaccounted for.
The Nepal Tourism Board said that 178 Indian nationals are among those who have gone missing in the aftermath of the sudden flooding. Among citizens from other countries, 53 from Ukraine, 35 from Australia and 25 from Canada have also been reported missing. (ANI)