Uttarakhand Installs Early Warning Systems For Glacial Lake Floods

To mitigate the threat of potential "Glacial Lake Outburst Floods" (GLOF) in Uttarakhand, monitoring and early warning systems are being installed in lakes, a process that commenced with Vasundhara Tal in Chamoli district.

GLOF refers to a sudden flood caused by the abrupt bursting of a glacial lake and the subsequent rapid outflow of water.

Vasundhara Tal is among the 13 glacial lakes identified as high-risk by the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) and technical institutions.

After flagging off the scientific and technical team from Dehradun to install the system at Vasundhara Tal, Uttarakhand Chief Secretary Anand Bardhan said this initiative would prove to be a milestone in mitigating the GLOF threat and understanding the associated risks.

He noted that state-of-the-art sensors, satellite communication, and real-time data monitoring would help in better understanding the changes occurring in glacial lakes.

In his message, Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami extended his best wishes to the team, emphasising that vigilance regarding risks associated with glacial lakes is crucial.

He said the state government aims to further strengthen modern monitoring and early warning mechanisms in the high-Himalayan regions through coordination among scientific institutions, experts, and departments involved in disaster management.

This is the first scientific team heading to the high-Himalayan region to install a monitoring and early warning system at a glacial lake in Uttarakhand. The related expedition is scheduled until October 15 and is being conducted by the Uttarakhand State Disaster Management Authority (USDMA) under the 'National GLOF Risk Reduction Programme'.

The expedition team comprises scientists and technical experts from the Roorkee-based Central Building Research Institute (CBRI) and the Dehradun-based Wadia Institute of Himalayan Geology.

Personnel from the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), and Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) will accompany the team.

Vinod Kumar Suman, the state's Disaster Management Secretary, said that according to 2023 data from the National Remote Sensing Centre (NRSC), 344 glacial lakes have been identified in the state.

He noted that the 13 lakes identified as high-risk glacial lakes by the NDMA and technical institutions include one in Bageshwar, four in Chamoli, six in Pithoragarh, and one each in Tehri and Uttarkashi districts.

Suman mentioned that bathymetric surveys have already been completed for six of these 13 glacial lakes: Saraswati Tal and Vasundhara Tal in Chamoli district, Kedartal in Uttarkashi district, and Mabang, Pyungru, and Syukti Yankti in Pithoragarh district. 

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