Tsarap River

File:Confluence Tsarap Purne Lungnak Zanskar Oct22 A7C 03657.jpg]]

The Tsarap River has its source in the glaciers near Pankpo La Pass at the border of Ladakh and Himachal Pradesh.{{cite book | author=India. Quarter Master General's Dept. Intelligence Branch | title=Gazetteer of Kashmir and Ladak: together with routes in the territories of the Maharaja of Jammu and Kashmir | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=wSFuAAAAMAAJ | access-date=18 August 2012 | year=1991 | publisher=Sang-e-Meel Publications, 1991 | isbn=978-969-35-0104-9 | page=-725}} After rising from its source, the Tsarap River flows north-east up to Sarchu, a camping site at the Leh-Manali Highway. Here the Tsarap River joins a confluence of three rivers: of Lingti, Yunan and Sarchu River.{{cite book | author=Harish Kapadia | title=High Himalaya Unknown Valleys | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=KNhJXSjSk70C&pg=PA228 | access-date=18 August 2012 | year=2002 | publisher=Indus Publishing, 2002 | isbn=978-81-7387-117-7 | page=-228}} At village Purne, the Tsarap River is joined by Kargyag River, which originates near the Shingo La pass.{{cite book | author=Outlook | title=Trekking holidays in India: 85 treks + 50 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=2gmCAAAAMAAJ | access-date=18 August 2012 | year=2005 | publisher=Outlook Pub. (India), 200 | isbn=978-81-89449-00-1 | page=-71}} Then the Tsarap River flows down the main Zanskar valley, through the towns of Mone, Tichip, Jamyang Lang, Dorzong and Chia. The river then meets the Stod River at a confluence near Padum, the capital of Zanskar. Together, these two rivers form the Zanskar River, a tributary of the Indus River.{{Cite book |last=Aitken |first=Bill |title=Touching Upon the Himalaya: Excursions and Enquiries |publisher=Indus Publishing Company |year=2004 |isbn=81-7387-169-8 |location=New Delhi |page=80}}

The Tsarap River contributes to the minimal agricultural production of the Zanskar valley, mainly to the lower areas of Chia, by providing irrigation to the fields of barley, wheat, buckwheat and peas.{{cite book |author=Henry Osmaston |author2=Nawang Tsering | title=Recent Research on Ladakh 6: Proceedings of the Sixth International Colloquium on Ladakh, Leh 1993 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=4jX552GiSmYC&pg=PA106 | access-date=18 August 2012 | year=1997 | publisher=Motilal Banarsidass Publ., 1997 | isbn=978-81-208-1432-5 | page=-106}} Accessible in the summer, the Pensi La mountain pass which connects Zanskar with rest of the country, receives heavy snowfall along with the other pass, Zojila, which results in the valley being cut off during winter from rest of the state, with the river freezing during this season. The river source at Pankpo La near Sarchu lies {{convert|255|km}} southeast from the nearest airport of Leh. The Tsarap River is famous for adventure sports. Rafting events are organised in the Tsarap, Stod and the Zanskar rivers.{{cite book |author=Pippa de Bruyn |author2=Niloufer Venkatraman |author3=Keith Bain | title=Frommer's India Volume 187 of Frommer's Complete Guides | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=P3wKhPA0lfYC&pg=PA500 | access-date=18 August 2012 | year=2006 | publisher=John Wiley & Sons, 2006 | isbn=978-0-471-79434-9 | page=-500}}

File:Alchi Project.jpg down the river]]

File:Zanskar oli 2014335.jpg

File:Zanskar oli 2015018.jpg

A lake was formed on the Tsarap River due to a landslide dam at {{coord|33|17|25|N|77|17|06|E|type:landmark_scale:1000|display=inline}}, {{convert|90|mi}} upstream (south) of Padum, the commercial hub of Zanskar. The landslide, which occurred on 31 December 2014 between Shun and Phuktal villages, was first noticed when the Alchi Hydroelectric Power Project downriver reported a drop in water level. The dam created by the debris was {{convert|60|m|ft}} high, {{convert|90|m|ft}} wide and {{convert|600|m|ft}} long[http://www.nrsc.gov.in/Phutkal.html Phuktal River Blockade (Zanskar Region), Kargil District, Jammu & Kashmir] and the artificial lake was at 80% of the height of the debris. As of 1 February 2015, the artificial lake formed behind the dam was nearly {{convert|14|km}} long and covered about 110 hectares of land.{{cite web|url=http://www.kashmirlife.net/post-zanskar-landslide-dc-kargil-chairs-an-emergency-review-meeting-72620/|title=Zanskar landslide DC Kargil chairs an emergency review meeting|date=February 2015|publisher=KashmirLife.net|access-date=2015-02-01}}{{cite web|url=http://www.earthobservatory.nasa.gov/IOTD/view.php?id=85149|title=Landslide in Northern India|date=27 January 2015|publisher=EarthObservatory.NASA|access-date=2015-02-01}}{{cite web|url=http://blogs.agu.org/landslideblog/2015/01/27/tsarap-landslide-1/|title=New images of the landslide on the Tsarap River|date=27 January 2015|publisher=American Geophysical Union|access-date=2015-02-03}}

The barrier was believed to be fine-grained, with boulders having a narrow crest. A report submitted by local authorities prohibited the use of explosives to clear the debris, for fear that it would trigger more landslides and aggravate the situation. They called on the National Disaster Management Authority for assessment of the situation. According to the deputy collector of Zanskar, "The lake has been created around 90 km from the Padam area of Zanskar and beyond 43 km no one can go by foot. After consulting all local engineers, including Army engineers, we were not able to do anything".{{cite web|url=http://blogs.agu.org/landslideblog/2015/01/22/tsarap-river-zanskar-1/|title=The landslide on the Tsarap River in the Zanskar Valley|date=22 January 2015|publisher=American Geophysical Union|access-date=2015-02-03}} On 20 February 2015, the National Disaster Management Authority submitted a report after a ground survey. The committee, headed by the Union Cabinet Secretary, deployed a team at the site to carry out controlled blasting and manual work to allow channelized flow of water.{{cite web|url=http://www.greaterkashmir.com/news/2015/Feb/21/phuktal-blockage-experts-to-explore-possibility-of-controlled-blasting-55.asp|title=Phutkal River Blockade|publisher=GreaterKashmir.com|access-date=2015-02-27}}

The severe temperatures in the region, below -20 °C, had frozen the lake and chances of a breach would rise with a temperature increase in the following days. Authorities closed down the old trade route, the Chadar Trek, and airlifted the people stranded therein to safer places. People living downstream of Tsarap were also warned to move to higher ground. Control rooms were set up at Padum and Phuktal to keep watch on the situation.{{cite web|url=http://www.greaterkashmir.com/news/2015/Jan/21/phutkal-river-blockade-centre-silent-as-expert-warns-of-catastrophic-flashfloods--20.asp|title=Phutkal River Blockade|publisher=GreaterKashmir.com|access-date=2015-02-01}}

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{{Ladakh}}

{{Hydrography of Jammu and Kashmir}}

Category:Rivers of Ladakh

Category:Geography of Ladakh

Category:Indus basin

Category:Landslide-dammed lakes