Rapid Damage Assessment for the Mandakini Valley Flood using Pre & Post High Resolution Satellite Data in Uttarakhand State, India

Mandakini River is an important branch of the Alaknanda River originates from the Chorabari Glacier near Kedarnath in Uttarakhand, India. Mandakini River turns ferocious during monsoon season often destroying various parts of national highway and many adjoining villages. Flash floods occur periodically in Mandakini Valley due to numerous factors including its complex topography and geological structures etc. The river has caused the 2013 Kedarnath floods in Uttarakhand state. In 16th and 17th June 2013, a multi-day cloudburst centred on the Uttarakhand state caused devastating floods and landslides in the country's worst natural disaster. One of the largest impacts appeared at Kedarnath, a Hindu shrine, which is an important pilgrimage destination. Most of the new established buildings and particularly the sangam (confluence) region at Rudraprayag was severely ruined in this flood. Besides, national highway, footpath, trekking routes, number of footbridges also got washed away completely. Many plants& vegetation cover that are food, fuel and fodder resources for locals had destroyed. In locales where larger volumes of sediment are flushed from beneath glaciers, they are responsible in creating outwash the area. To investigate damage assessment in the Mandakini valley, a GIS-based methodology has been developed for quantifying and spatially mapping the flood affected areas. The aim of this study was therefore to assess the impact of the 2013 flood on the infrastructures, road, settlement, forest and agricultural areas. This study used a satellite-based Remote Sensing and GIS method to investigate damage assessment in the Mandakini Valley in Uttarakhand, India.