Childrens Ward, SNM Public Hospital, Leh, Ladakh. August 8, 2010.
EVIDENCE
SNM Public Hospital, Leh.
On the night of August 6, 2010, a cloud burst hit Leh, the ancient capital city of Ladakh. A giant landslide swept away houses, cars, and vast stretches of pristine landscape in a flash, including the SNM Public Hospital, the only hospital in this remote mountainous region. Over 200 people died.
A cloudburst is an extreme weather event in Ladakh. It is one of the driest regions in the world. The earth’s warming is believed to have led to severe glacier erosion in the Himalayas and a gradual but potentially devastating shift in rainfall patterns has emerged, causing devastating natural disasters in an ecologically sensitive region.
Highway outside Leh following the devastating flash flood of August 6, 2010.
SNM Public Hospital, Leh, Ladakh.
Candle-lit remembrance march, Leh, August 10, 2010.