Expert teams to assess 5 high-risk glacial lakes

Dehradun: The Uttarakhand government has formed two teams of experts to conduct a risk assessment and survey of five glacial lakes in the state that are highly vulnerable to “outburst floods”, an official said.

It has been proposed that the teams will start their work on these lakes in May-June this year, Secretary Disaster Management, Uttarakhand, Ranjit Sinha said. Of the 188 glacial lakes in Himalayan states, 13 are located in Uttarakhand, he said and added that these have been categorised according to their vulnerability to the threat of “outburst flood”.

Uttarakhand in February 2021 saw a glacial lake outburst in Chamoli district that washed away a small hydel project on the Rishiganga and caused flash floods, killing many people. Glacial lake outburst flood (GLOF) is a flood resulting from the sudden and rapid release of water from a glacial lake, often caused by the breaking of a moraine dam or ice dam.

The 13 glacial lakes of Uttarakhand have been categorised as ‘A’, ‘B’ and ‘C’, with ‘A’ being highly sensitive, said Sinha, who on Tuesday participated in an online meeting with the Disaster Management Division of the Union home ministry on glacial lakes. Chief secretaries and officials of Himalayan states, including Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Sikkim, Jammu and Kashmir, Ladakh and Arunachal Pradesh, also attended the meet.

Sinha said that five of the 13 glacial lakes in Uttarakhand fall in category ‘A’, four in category ‘B’ -- sensitive -- and four in category ‘C’ -- relatively less sensitive. Out of the five highly sensitive lakes, four are in Pithoragarh district and one in Chamoli, and of the four sensitive lakes, two are in Pithoragarh and one each in Chamoli and Tehri, he said.