India launches flood warning systems for Himalayan glacial lakes September 5, 2024

The explosion of a devastating glacial lake in the Indian state of Sikkim in October 2023 caused a torrential flood that killed dozens of people (-)

By AFP - Agence France Presse

India launches flood warning systems for Himalayan glacial lakes

Parvaiz BUKHARI

India is installing high-tech warning systems in nearly 200 Himalayan glacial lakes that are at risk of bursting their banks, a deadly threat exacerbated by climate change, disaster officials said on Tuesday.

India's Himalayas contain at least 7,500 glacial lakes, many of which are at risk of dangerous flash floods.

Teams from India's National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) are targeting 190 high-altitude lakes considered the most dangerous in a mission expected to last three years.

“We have already made significant progress in mitigating the risks,” Safi Ahsan Rizvi, a senior NDMA official heading the mission, told AFP.

A glacial lake outburst flood (GLOF) is the sudden release of water that has accumulated in ancient glacier beds.

These lakes are formed by the retreat of glaciers, a natural phenomenon turbocharged by the warmer temperatures of man-made climate change.

An expedition is currently working to install early warning systems around six high-risk lakes in the northeastern state of Sikkim, where at least 77 people died in such a flood in October 2023.

“We have installed 20 lakes so far and will complete 40 this summer,” said Rizvi.

The project will also include the “lowering of lake levels” of accumulated water and ice slush in the lakes.

The teams include experts from the army and various government agencies, including the Indian Space Research Organization, geologists, hydrologists, computer engineers, and climate experts.

India's air force is also expected to join the mission later, taking heavy equipment to remote locations.

- 'Catastrophic impacts' - The mission will cover the Himalayas.

The mission will cover the Himalayan regions of India, from Kashmir and Ladakh in the north to Arunachal Pradesh in the northeast, many of them in areas bordering China.

Climate change is causing glaciers to disappear, with half of the Earth's 215,000 glaciers projected to melt by the end of the century, even though warming may be limited to 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels.

The volume of glacial lakes has increased by 50% in 30 years, according to a 2020 study based on satellite data.

One study, published in Nature Communications, found that 15 million people live less than 50 kilometers (31 miles) from a glacial lake and less than one kilometer from possible flooding from a breach.

The risk was greatest in the “High Mountains of Asia” region, which covers 12 countries, including India, Pakistan, China and Nepal.

This is partly because more people live near glacial lakes in the region than in other parts of the world, which makes warning times even shorter.

Last month, the explosion of a glacial lake in the Everest region of Nepal caused a devastating flood of icy water in the village of Thame, sweeping away buildings.

However, residents were warned and there were no casualties.

The International Center for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) said that this was a clear example of the “catastrophic impacts” that rising global temperatures were having on the people who contributed the least to the greenhouse gases that caused this increase.

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