Category Geography

Earlier this month, a glacier broke off at Joshimath in Uttarakhand’s Chamoli district, causing an avalanche in Raini village in Tapovan area. The avalanche (a rapid snowslide) was soon followed by flash floods due to a massive rise in water levels in the Dhauliganga river, which buried houses and people along its banks. The devastating flood damaged two hydropower projects, bridges, trapped workers in underground tunnels and killed at least 36 people (at the time of going to press).

A team of scientists at the Wadia Institute of Himalayan Geology investigating the incident suggested that the collapse of a hanging glacier triggered the deluge. This hanging glacier was adjacent to Raunthi glacier, which originates from a remote and inaccessible peak called Mrigudhani (6.063m above sea level). The glacier was hanging on a slope, held up by a mass of rock.

Scientists say that this portion could have weakened over a period of time due to freezing and melting and would have broken off hurtling down the steep mountain slope and falling into a narrow stream. As the water level increased in the stream, it burst. The rushing water breached the dam below and caused massive floods downstream, they explained. But what is a hanging glacier? Let’s find out

What are glaciers?

Glaciers are slow-moving ice masses formed over many years of accumulation of snow – the snow that escaped melting and sublimation over the years. Glaciers flow due to stress from their own weight. They erode rocks on their way and form crevasses.

Glaciers store water in the form of ice during the colder seasons and release it during warmer seasons by way of melting. This serves as a water source for humans, animals and vegetation. There are some 10,000 glaciers in the Himalayas, and Uttarakhand alone has up to 1,495 glaciers.

What are hanging glaciers?

Not all glaciers reach the ocean or a valley floor. Some terminate halfway to the main glacier surface, most often at a diff. The sudden avalanches caused by hanging glaciers often put the area beneath them at risk.

Scientists attributed climate change to the weakening of the hanging glacier that caused the flood in Uttarakhand Rapid temperature changes lead to freezing and thawing of ice, and thereby glacial fractures over time. When temperatures rise, glaciers lose ice faster than they accumulate. This ice melt can lead to the retreat of glaciers and affect the entire ecosystem. Many glaciers around the world are receding due to the warming climate.

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When we mention the word “river”, our minds first visualise a flowing water body. River water too, however, freezes, and it is, in fact, a common occurrence more than half (56% of all large rivers) of Earth’s rivers freeze over every year.

While the process of freezing is straightforward in calm waters such as those in lakes or even an ice cube tray, the turbulence in moving water bodies such as rivers and even streams, makes it different and difficult as the water molecules try to crystallise. The freezing of river waters occurs in a number of ways and even give rise to distinct formations.

Anchor ice

Some sections of the river freeze from the bottom up. This type of ice, known as anchor ice, forms on the rocks underwater, even if the surface hasn’t frozen. While a lot isn’t known about how anchor ice forms, grows or even detaches, it is well established that it grows rapidly once it has started. As a result, the appearance and flow of a river can change even overnight!

Pancakes and circles

Ice pancakes and ice circles are distinct surface formations that appear when river water freezes. What sets them apart is the process in which they are formed.

Pancake ice is formed in three phases. At first, frazil ice, which consists of small, needle-like structures, begins to form in the supercooled water. Frazil ice can get packed together by wave action, and the resulting floating mass is known as slush ice. The third and final phase sees the formation of pancake ice, which consists of frazil and slush ice along with a raised rim.

Ice circles, meanwhile, form in slow-moving rivers and look like a giant circle of ice slowly rotating on water. A change in river speed in a section where there is a large amount of ice could lead the ice to rotate until it becomes circular. Alternatively, a huge chunk of ice that breaks away from an ice sheet can become an ice circle in the presence of necessary forces.

Anchor ice, ice pancakes, and ice circles are only a few ways in which the river water freezes. The freezing of river water occurs in complex ways and also leads to more obscure formations at times.

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Assam is one of the Eight Sister States of North A eastern India. Known for its rich culture and diverse population, the culture of Assam is a fusion of Indo-Burmese, Mongolian and Aryan influence. It is bounded to the north by the kingdom of Bhutan and Arunachal Pradesh, to the east by Nagaland and Manipur, to the south by Mizoram and Tripura, and to the west by Bangladesh and the States of Meghalaya and West Bengal

The name Assam is derived from the word asama meaning “peerless” in the now extinct Ahom language. The neighbouring states of Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Mizoram, and Meghalaya were once part of Assam. The capital, formerly Shillong (now the capital of Meghalaya), was shifted to Dispur, a suburb of Guwahati, in 1972. The beautiful land, known as the land of red rivers and blue hills’ is a little paradise with untouched natural landscapes worth traversing for its pristine beauty

Major tribes of Assam

Ahom or Tai-Ahom: They are the admixed descendants of the Tai people who reached the Brahmaputra Valley of Assam in 1228.

Karbis: They are one of the major ethnic communities in Assam and especially in the hill areas of Assam.

Bodo-Kacharis (also Kacharis or Bodos) are an anthropological and a linguistic group living predominantly in Assam, Tripura and Meghalaya.

Mising is an indigenous community inhabiting parts of Assam and Arunachal Pradesh.

Nyishi community is the largest ethnic group and they live in the Sonitpur and North Lakhimpur districts of Assam.

Rabha live mostly in Goalpara, Kamrup, Kokrajhar, Udalguri, and Baksa districts; and also in some places Bongaigaon, Chirang, Sonitpur, and Karbi Anglong districts.

Rajbongshi or Koch-Rajbongshi is an ethnic group inhabiting parts of Assam, Meghalaya, and northern West Bengal.

Tea-garden community composed of multi-ethnic groups of tea garden workers and their dependants in Assam. They are officially referred as “Tea tribes” by the Government of Assam. They are the descendants of indigenous people brought by the British colonial planters as labourers from the regions of present-day Jharkhand, Odisha, Chhattisgarh, West Bengal and Andhra Pradesh into colonial Assam during 1860-90s in multiple phases for the purpose of being employed in the tea garden industry as labourers.

Customs and traditions

Customs and traditions play a significant role in society and the Assamese strictly adhere to the customs laid down by their forefathers, pertaining to their communities. These customs are beliefs that originated in the past and have been followed ever since, generation after generation Weddings, births, deaths and festivals in Assam include many customs that are supposed to be followed by all.

The people of Assam always believed in the joint family system and it is still prevalent among both tribal and non-tribal communities. Some of the tribes follow the matriarchal system, which asserts that the mother is the centre of the clan and that her property will be given to her daughters. If there are no daughters, it will be passed to the youngest daughter of her sister. The prevalent custom among the Dimasa-Kacharis is that the sons inherit the father’s property while the daughters inherit the mother’s property. The Assamese use bamboo to welcome guests because of their attachment to the bamboo culture.

Traditional dress

The Assamese adorn very simple dresses, mostly hand loomed. Women wear the motif-rich Mekhela Chador or Riha-Mekhela, while men wear the ‘suria’ or ‘dhoti’, and over it drape a chadar known as ‘Seleng’. Gamosa is an indispensable part of almost all socio-religious ceremonies in Assam. It is derived from the Kamrupi word ‘Gaamasa’ (gaama + chadar) which was used to cover the Bhagavad Purana at the altar. It is a white rectangular piece of cloth with a red border on three sides and woven motifs on the fourth. Bihu dancers wrap it around the head, and it is still used to cover the altar at the prayer hall or the scriptures.

Jaapi: This is basically known as the sunshade of Assam. It is made of bamboo strips and dried palm leaves locally known as Tokow Pat. There are many types of Jaapi like the Halua Jaapi, Pitha Jaapi, Sorudoiya Jaapi, Bordoiya Jaapi, etc. Jaapis were also used as headwear in the olden days, mostly by the rich Folk music instrument and noble families. Farmers use Jaapi as umbrellas while working in the paddy fields.

Folk music

Assam is rich in folk music. From the time of the Kamarupa Kingdom followed by Ahom Dynasty, Assamese culture has been influenced by their rulers, except for the British rule which ended the Ahom Dynasty. The indigenous folk music has influenced the folk music of artistes like Bhupen Hazarika, Parvati Prasad Baruva, Jayanta Hazarika, Utpalendu Choudhury, Nirmalendu Choudhury and others. Classical Assamese music is divided into Borgeet and Ojapali which combines narrative singing with dancing. The music of Oja-pali has a raga system of clear traditional orientation.

Arts and craft

Traditional crafts like pottery and terracotta work, brass craft, jewellery-making, musical instruments making, cane and bamboo craft, silk and cotton weaving and woodcraft are a major source of employment for the people of Assam.

Weaving is the most ancient among these, and even now women take pride in working in the handloom industry. Gandhiji lauded the Assamese weavers as artistes who could weave dreams in their looms. Various ethno cultural groups make exclusive types of cotton garments with embroidery designs and colour combinations

Painting is another ancient form of art known since the time of Chinese traveller Xuanzang (7 century CE). Most of the manuscripts from the middle ages have excellent examples of traditional paintings. They were influenced by the concept and designs in the medieval works such as the Chitra Bhagavata. There is a Department of Fine Arts in Assam, which is a central government organization that focuses on the art and craft of north east India with particular reference to Assam.

Festivals

Assam is full of festivals, the most important being the Bihu. It is celebrated to mark the important points of a cultivator’s life over a yearly cycle. It is a non-religious festival celebrated by all irrespective of caste and creed. Rongali or Bohag Bihu celebrated in mid-April with the coming of spring and the beginning of the sowing season. It is also known as Rangaali Bihu (‘rang means ‘merry-making’).

Another important festival is the Kangaali Bihu (‘kangaali’ meaning ‘poor’) is celebrated in mid-October. It is called so because by this time the harvest is brought home. The Magh Bihu is celebrated in mid-January. There are community feasts and bonfires which take place during the festival days. Also known as the Bhogaali Bihu (‘bhog’ means ‘enjoyment and feasting’). The first day of rongali bihu is called Goru Bihu when the cows are taken to the nearby ponds to be bathed. Ali-Ai-Ligang is the spring festival, and the name of the festival is made up of three terms — ‘Ali’, root and seed, ‘Ai’ means fruit and ‘Ligang, to sow.

Traditional dances

Ojapali, Devdasi, and Sattriya are the major dance styles of Assam. Oja, the lead dancer, narrates a mythological story along with the fusion of dance and acting. It is of three types – biyah-gowa that presents Mahabharata stories with the rhythmic use of feet, sukananni which celebrates the worship of snake goddess Manasa, and ramayani based on the Assamese version of Ramayana. Sattriya was developed by Sankardeva.

Devadasi-deva-nati or nati nas is a conventional temple dance that is performed by unmarried women who submitted their lives to the presiding deity. The dances of the Bodos are associated with the Kherai Puja festival where Bagurumba dance is the most popular. Other folk dances are incomplete without the Jhumur performed by the Adivasis which is a synchronized dance of boys and girls to the sound of drums and flute.

Cuisine

Assamese dishes are said to be less spicy than any other Indian dishes. Assamese are mostly non-vegetarian, and their staple diet is rice. Fish, chicken, duck and pork are also eaten and are popular. Fish curry is prepared as a sour dish called Machor tenga. Baked fish wrapped in leaves with white mustard paste is a popular delicacy. Dried fish is a traditional tribal cuisine. The variance of rice are produced and prepared like Cheera (flattened rice), akhoi (parched paddy grain), muri (puffed rice), pithguri (pound rice), sandoh guri (fried, pound rice), komal saul and bora saul. The presence of traditional “detoxifying’ appetizers like Khar is prepared by burning the stem of the banana tree.

People who have a weakness for sweets won’t be disheartened one bit as the Assamese dish is incomplete without sweets and one of its specialties called pitha is made from rice. Til pitha (moulded sticky rice cake with black sesame filling), ghila pitha (fried rice cakes), sunga pitha (rice cake baked inside whole bamboo pieces), narikolor laaru (sweet coconut balls) and kol pitha (banana pancakes) are some of the other delicacies of the Assamese cuisine.

Traditional jewellery

Assamese jewellery is usually handmade, and the designs depict flora and fauna. The people are fond of wearing beautiful and unique style of ornaments made of gold and silver and varieties of jewels. The traditional ones worn by men are called Biri, Magardana, Matamoni, Kundal and Lokaparo while those worn by the women are Keru, Karphul, Kharu, Aargathi, Nalak, Keyur and Nupur.

Major occupations

Agriculture is the main occupation of the people in Assam. It accounts for 63 per cent of the state’s workforce. Most farmers are engaged in the cultivation of rice, which is the staple diet of the people. Other crops include pulses, jute, tea and fruit cultivation. Assam is well-known all over the world for its tea plantations and the tea gardens of Assam provide employment to nearly a million people. Assam’s tea plantation forms 15 per cent of the world’s tea output.

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