Flash flood risk in Himachal, Uttarakhand as glacial lakes in Himalayas rise: Report

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Remote sensing mapping suggests there are around 7,500 glacier lakes in the Himalayas in states like Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Sikkim, and Arunachal Pradesh. Of these, 190 have been categorised as having a "very high" risk of causing a Glacial Lake Outburst Flood (GLOF), which occurs when water held by ice walls or moraine is released suddenly.

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Himachal Pradesh is the most vulnerable to this threat. As per a remote sensing-based study by the Centre on Climate Change of Himachal Pradesh Council for Science Technology-Environment (HIMCOSTE), the number of glacial lakes that could bring flash flooding in the state almost doubled from 562 in 2019 to 1,048 in 2023.

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Himachal Pradesh hosts the highest 48 glacial lakes, termed "high risk" by the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA). Sikkim has 40 of them, followed by Ladakh (35), Arunachal Pradesh (28), Jammu and Kashmir (26) and Uttarakhand (13).

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"Over the years, the number of glacial lakes has been gradually increasing. It indicates that the effects of climate warming are more serious in the higher Himalayan region. The swift melting of glaciers and less snowfall during the winter could be reasons behind the rise in lakes," said Dr. Ashim Sattar, a glaciology expert and assistant professor at IIT Bhubaneswar.

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