Union Home Minister Amit Shah has set an ambitious goal for India: achieving “Zero Casualty” during disasters. Chairing the third meeting of the Governing Body of the National Institute of Disaster Management in New Delhi earlier this week, Shah said India’s disaster management philosophy has undergone a complete transformation under the PM Narendra Modi government.
Using long-term satellite observations, the space agency revealed alarming evidence that glacial lakes across the Himalayas are expanding at a significant rate. The gap between warning and action can be measured in lives lost. These lakes are formed as glaciers melt and retreat under rising temperatures. they can also become deadly While they are important sources of freshwater. If the natural barriers holding these lakes in place collapse, enormous volumes of water can surge downstream in what is known as a Glacial Lake Outburst Flood, or GLOF. Indian scientists have always given suitable and highly accurate early warning systems. One case in point is early warning of cyclones mastered by the India Meteorological Department. The study also showed that many of these lakes are situated at extreme altitudes. Most are moraine-dammed lakes, meaning they are held back by loose accumulations of rock and sediment left behind by retreating glaciers. One example highlighted by ISRO was the Ghepang Ghat glacial lake in Himachal Pradesh. During the NIDM meeting, he argued that disaster management can no longer remain the responsibility of a handful of agencies. He called for stronger research, institutional coordination and continuous monitoring. He also acknowledged that climate change and global warming are likely to increase both the frequency and intensity of disasters in the years ahead. If India is serious about achieving zero casualty, then satellite monitoring, real-time warning systems, hazard mapping, evacuation drills and resilient infrastructure must become standard practice across vulnerable Himalayan states.
Today due to a constellation of Indian satellites and a web of Doppler Radars on the coast, the casualty figures due to cyclones has dropped to double digits – an amazing development in less than five decades. Because of avalanches, landslides, earthquakes, heavy rainfall or continued melting, such natural dams are inherently unstable and can fail. That question becomes even more important in light of a warning issued by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) in April 2024. In the 1970’s, a cyclone on the East Coast took a toll of 3,00,000 lives. Similarly, after the devastating 2004 tsunami, India put in place the Indian Tsunami Early Warning System and till date it has delivered immaculately, never given a false warning, though it must be pointed out that a tsunami of the 2004 magnitude has also not repeated itself since then. A total of 314 expanding lakes lie between 4,000 and 5,000 metres, while another 296 are above 5,000 metres. The lake expanded by 178 percent between 1989 and 2022, increasing from 36.49 hectares to 101.30 hectares.
This is where Amit Shah’s call for a “whole of government approach” acquires immense significance.
