Chamoli tragedy: where did the 1965 plutonium pack go? Damage caused by glacier breakdown can spread serious nuclear pollution

The Chamoli tragedy has raised serious concerns about nuclear radiation in Uttarakhand and the Ganges River. The reason for this concern is that in 1965 a plutonium pack was lost while installing a radar system on the summit of Nanda Devi mountain in Uttarakhand, which has not been found till date.Environmental experts worry that if glacier breaks in Chamoli cause any damage to this plutonium pack, it could lead to severe nuclear radiation pollution in the waters of the state of Uttarakhand and the Ganges. This can cause great harm to the environment as well as the public. The Uttarakhand government has expressed its concern to find it.Uttarakhand Tourism Minister Satpal Maharaj told Amar Ujala that in October 1965, the Indian government had planned to install a radar system in collaboration with the US to monitor China’s border activities. When the technical team was going to install the radar system, they also had a plutonium pack, which was to be fitted with this radar system. But during this time a strong snowstorm came and the soldiers had to leave the plutonium pack and return there. Later our troops arrived there with the technical team after the weather recovered, but the plutonium pack as well as other items were lost in the storm, which could not be discovered to date. Later the radar system was moved by taking the second pack, but it is feared that the earlier plutonium pack is still buried under the snow somewhere. The estimated lifespan of these plutonium packs is close to a hundred years.Satpal Maharaj met Prime Minister Narendra Modi in August 2018 and expressed his grave concern over the matter. He had also raised the issue in Parliament saying that if an accident occurs due to this plutonium pack, it can cause terrible havoc, hence it should be searched. However, no specific efforts have been made so far.