Mountain bursting, in which water gushes down from a mountain after an explosion and causes massive landslides, is being linked to global warming. The strange phenomenon was recently witnessed at Rangrik village in Himachal Pradesh’s Lahaul & Spiti district and it caused widespread fears of a volcanic activity. “Glacial melting due to global warming leads to increased accumulation of groundwater in mountains. Once the capacity of a mountain exceeds its threshold, it can burst, causing flash floods,’’ said Ritesh Arya, a hydro-geologist, who is also a Guinness World Record holder for discovering underground water at the highest altitude. A week ago, villagers were startled out of their homes by an explodingmountain, yielding huge quantities of water. Ever since, geologists have been making a beeline for the countryside to look for answers. “Mountains aren’t dry as the water gets stored in rocks because of capillary action,’’ said Ritesh, who will represent the country at World Water Week in Sweden beginning August 19. “The world is scheduled to witness this phenomenon in the future,’’ he said, adding, “if cyclones and hurricanes are feared in coastal areas, mountain flash flooding is also the threat in the near future’’. Intrigued by the phenomenon, two geologists from Geological Survey of India are already on their way to the remote village, ready with equipment for scientific investigations. State’s department of science & technology is also readying to send its team of scientists to the site. R K Sood, joint member secretary, state council of science and technology, said, “We’ve asked the National Remote Sensing Agency to provide clear images of the mountain so that we can ascertain how big it is and what the impact of the occurrence is. Slippage of land can also cause similar activities’’.
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