| Sedongpu Gully • The Journal of Rock Mechanics and Geotechnical Engineering study used satellite data from 1969 to 2023 to identify large mass-wasting events in the gully. • The Sedongpu Gully has experienced increased mass-wasting events since 2017, following the Nyingchi earthquake, which disrupted the stability of rocks and glaciers. • The study also noted that the area’s temperatures, previously rarely exceeding 0°C, have been rising rapidly, further contributing to the instability. |
- A new study highlights the increasing frequency of mass-wasting events in the Sedongpu Gully of the Tibetan Plateau since 2017, linked to rapid warming in the region, which could have significant implications for India’s northeast.
- Mass wasting, the gravity-driven movement of rock and soil down a slope, has been exacerbated by long-term warming and earthquakes in the area.
- The Sedongpu Gully, located in the catchment of the Sedongpu glacier, drains into the Yarlung Zangbo (Tsangpo) River near the Great Bend, close to the Tibet-Arunachal Pradesh border.
- This river flows as the Siang in Arunachal Pradesh and eventually becomes the Brahmaputra in Assam.
- The Brahmaputra River, being one of the most sediment-laden rivers globally, increased sedimentation could lead to more intense braiding, bank erosion, elevated river beds, and flood hazards in Assam, along with navigation difficulties during the lean season.
| Proposed Siang Mega Dam • Initially planned for 11,000 MW and now upscaled to 12,000 MW, could submerge agricultural land and displace villages both upstream and downstream. • Water Bomb of China: Additionally, the project is linked to broader concerns about China’s proposed 60,000 MW dam on the Yarlung Tsangpo River, which could cause artificial floods in Arunachal Pradesh and Assam. |
Dig Deeper: Locate on the map various tributaries of the Brahmaputra in India.
