IOSR Journal Of Environmental Science, Toxicology And Food Technology (IOSR-JESTFT) e-ISSN: 2319-2402,p- ISSN: 2319-2399. Volume 7, Issue 2 (Nov. - Dec. 2013), PP 33-45 www.iosrjournals.org www.iosrjournals.org 33 | Page ‘The Himalayan Tsunami’- Cloudburst, Flash Flood & Death Toll: A Geographical Postmortem Pranab Kr. Das, Assistant Professor in Geography, Department of Geography, Sree Chaitanya College, Habra, West Bengal, India. Abstract: People of Grarhwal in Uttarakhand state of India and several pilgrims, those who were present there would never forget the four days of June 2013. This part of India is very famous for several high altitude pilgrimages and mass tourism. For its spiritual importance this region is commonly known as ‘Dev Bhumi’- Land of Gods. From May to October this entire region always remains busy with the ‘Char Dham Yatra and tourism activities. Like every year, June of 2013 was no different, pilgrimages and tourist spots were crowded with thousands of people. They were totally unknown what was going to hell their life after the cloudburst on and from 14 th June to 17 th June. After the Multi days cloudburst and heavy rainfall, the entire region especially the Kedarnath area faced devastating flash flood and associating landslide. Rudraprayag, Uttarkashi, Chamoli, Pithoragarh districts were badly affected. The death toll is reached up to10, 000 and 3000 persons were missing and several hundreds were injured. The flash flood was so treating and massive that it was called ‘The Himalayan Tsunami’. This paper explores the geographical causes of the Uttakhand-flood and issues related with this great disaster with possible mitigation. Key Words: Char Dham Yatra, Cloudburst, Flashflood, Landslide, Uttarakhand, I. Introduction Uttarakhand, is commonly known as the „Dev Bhumi‟ or Land of the Gods for its‟ spiritual identity. The Indian culture, society and economy are very much depended on the river system of Ganges. The Ganges and its several tributaries have developed one of the most fertile and prosperous plain of the World i.e. the North Indian Plain. From the historical past the River Ganges is a symbol of Indian vibrant culture and tradition. This River is so important for Indian that Indians always recognize it as „Mother of Indian Civilization‟. The Gar hwal region of Uttarakhand is the catchment area of Ganga and Yamuna rivers. Several Hindu pilgrimage centers are spreading in this region. Most of these were invented and glorified by Adi Sankaracharya (early 8th century A.D), a Hindu spiritual reformer. Among all the pilgrimages of Uttarakhand,, the Chardham (four holy pilgrimages); Kedarnath. Badrinath, Gangotri and Yamunetri are famous not only for spiritual identity but also their panoramic beauty. In every summer this part of the state always remains crowded with pilgrims and tourists. Initially the economy of the state was traditionally depended on agriculture and religious tourism. After the separation from Uttar Pradesh (9 th November 2000), the State Authorities started to emphases on industrialization, mining and mass tourism. Once, the spiritual land of India has been started to transform into the land of dams and jungle of concretes. Due to the urge of rapid infrastructural and economic development, the environment of Uttarakhand has been degraded up to extreme limit. The purity and spirituality of this holy land has been polluted with ruthless economic desire. As the Newtonian third laws; the nature has reacted with cloudburst and associating flash flood, landslide on and from 14.06.2013 to 17.06.2013 as the adverse effects of the so called development activities. This short of hazard is natural phenomenon. However, excessive human interference to the natural environment of this hilly tract leads it to not only a quasi-natural hazard but also a remarkable disaster of human history. Main purpose of this paper is to identify the reasons of the Uttarakhand disaster. But it also deals with the Geography of the Uttarakhand state, nature of the disaster and possible management of this type of disasters. Tables, figures are used to discuss the facts scientifically with the help of authentic sources. Provided maps will help to understand the Geographical scenario of Uttarakhand and satellite images show the actual situation of the disaster. II. Geography of Uttarakhand 2.1 Location The northern state of Uttarakhand lies between 28.44‟ to 31.28‟ N latitude to 77.35‟ to 81.01‟ E longitude. It was evolved after the separation of the Uttar Pradesh. Actually the hilly tract of former Uttar Pradesh is now the present state of Uttarakhand. Total area of this hilly state is 53,483square Km constituting 1.63% of landmass of the India [1]. The state is consists of 13 districts and 95 development blocks. This state