Tragedy at Tapovan Vishnugad hydel project: Understanding hydrology, geology of Himalayas is need of the hour Despite the high-risk and its capital-intensive nature, India's attraction for hydroelectric power has never ceased to exist Simantik Dowerah February 10, 2021 06:39:31 IST The damaged structure of the Tapovan Vishnugad dam. Image courtesy MoneyControl When a picture of the wiped out Tapovan Vishnugad Hydroelectric Project clicked by the Indian Air Force appeared on social media, the raw power of nature and the vulnerability of large hydroelectric projects could not have been starker. Over 150 people have been missing and 28 bodies have been recovered so far after a flash flood ravaged the project to the ground on the morning of 7 February this year. Most of the dead and the missing were workers working in the project site who were caught unaware by the flash flood and swept away. The ferocity of the flood water can be gauged from the water level which was recorded at 1,388 metres at Joshimath at 11 am on the fateful day while in the 2013 flash flood, the highest flood level in the same area was at 1,385.54 metres.