Amidst the ongoing relief and rescue efforts, environmentalists, social workers, and historians have expressed deep concern over the disaster, appealing to the government to learn crucial lessons from it.Historian and author Jai Singh Rawat told TNIE that the Khirganga, a tributary of the Bhagirathi, has a long history of destructive floods. “Emerging from the Srikant peak, the Khirganga has been notorious for its devastating floods,” he stated, recalling a 19th-century deluge that buried 240 temples, once part of the Kalp Kedar temple arena. Subsequent floods in 2013 and 2018 also caused significant damage.”While its waters appear calm, the river holds a history far more terrifying,” Rawat added.Rawat further elaborated that Dharali once housed a cluster of 240 Katuri-style temples, documented by English traveller James William Fraser in 1816. These too were swallowed by a catastrophic Khirganga flood in the early 19th century.Subsequent floods, including a major one in 2013 and another in August 2018, saw Khirganga overflowing with debris, breaching flood protection walls and inundating over 50 hotels and homes. The 2018 event also partially buried the ancient Kalp Kedar temple and severely damaged apple orchards along the river.
Source link
