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.
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.
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.
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’. 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 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.
