Seven tourists killed as avalanche hits roadfrom Gangtoktonkatsu La

Seven tourists killed as avalanche hits roadfrom Gangtoktonkatsu La

Subject: Geography

Section: Indian Geography

Context: An avalanche at Thulokhola on the Nathula Road connecting Sikkim’s capital Gangtok with the strategic Nathula Pass killed seven tourists on April 4, 2023, the district collector of Gangtok told journalists. The dead include four men, two women and a child from Nepal, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal.

What are Avalaches?

• Avalanche is a rapid downslope movement of a large detached mass of snow, ice, and associated debris such as rocks and vegetation.
• Small avalanches, or Sluffs, occur in large numbers, while large avalanches that may encompass slopes a kilometer or more in length with millions of tons of snow, occur infrequently but cause most of the damage.
• Humans have been exposed to the threat of sliding snow for as long as they have inhabited mountainous regions.

Types of Avalanches:

• Loose snow avalanches-formed in snow with little internal cohesion among individual snow crystals.
• Slab avalanches-Originate in snow with sufficient internal cohesion to enable a snow layer, or layers, to react mechanically as a single entity.
• Wet snow avalanches-These move more slowly than dry ones and are seldom accompanied by dust clouds.
• Direct action avalanches –These are the immediate result of a single snowstorm. They usually involve only fresh snow.
• Climax avalanches-Result of a series of snowstorms or a culmination of weather influences. Their fall is not necessarily associated with a current storm or weather situation.

Nathu la:

Nathu La, one of the highest motorable roads in the world, is a mountain pass in the Himalayan peaks that co-joins Sikkim and China. Situated on the Indo-Tibetan border 14450 ft. above sea level, Nathu La is one of the most important Himalayan passes in the country. Nathu means ‘listening ears’, and La means ‘pass’. Nathu La is one of the three open trading border posts between India and China and is famous for its picturesque beauty and beautiful environment. The temperature here remains low for most parts

Located on the Old Silk Route, Nathu La Pass connects Sikkim to China’s Tibet Autonomous Region. It was sealed for almost 4 decades after the People’s Republic of China suppressed a Tibetan uprising in 1959. However, when the former Prime Minister of India, Atal Bihari Vajpayee visited China in 2003, talks to open the strategic route were resumed. The Nathu La Pass was reopened in 2006 and since then, it has served as an official Border Personnel Meeting(BPM) Point.

Since it is one of the three open trading border posts between India and China, Nathu La Pass has played a key role in the Sino-Indian Trade. It has also shortened the distance between the important Buddhist and Hindu pilgrimage sites, thus strengthening the economy and improving border relations with China.