One hundred years ago
THURSDAY'S Times contains the announcement that the water of the Gohma Lake is now only 10ft. below the top of the dam, and at any moment we may hear that the overflow has begun. It is as well, then, to remind our readers what is happening at Gohma. High up in the Himalayas, in a region of moun- tains which are among the highest in the world, an affluent of the Ganges flows through a narrow gorge whose sides are about 4,000 ft. high. Last September one of the sides of this gorge slipped down, and threw a vast natural dam, 900 ft. high, across the course of the stream. The result was a lake which last May was about 3 miles long and 500 ft. deep. Since then the water has been steadily rising at about the rate of 2ft. a day, and on August 12th it had reached 720 ft. When the point of overflow has been reached, it is expected that the upper part of the dam will be carried away, and a terrible flood of water will be let loose, doing immense damage, and sweeping away the bridges for over a hundred miles along the course of the Upper Ganges. It is hoped, however, that no great loss of life will occur, as the lake is watched day and night, and a special telegraph-wire has been laid which will give instant warning to the villages below.
The Spectator 25 August 1894
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