- State Government of Uttarakhand has constituted two expert teams to evaluate risk posed by 5 potentially hazardous glacial lakes in the region.
- GLOF: GLOF is a term used to describe a sudden release of water retained in a glacial lake that can be located in front, at the side, underneath, within, or on top of a glacier. e.g., GLOF in Sikkim (Oct 2023) triggered by bursting of South Lhonak Lake.
- GLOFs are recognized as a potential climatological disaster in National Disaster Management Plan (NDMP) 2019 of India.
- GLOF vulnerability in India: Includes Himalayan states and UTs such as Jammu & Kashmir, Ladakh, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, and Sikkim.
- In 2021, Geological Survey of India found 13 out of 486 glacial lakes in Uttarakhand to be vulnerable to GLOFs.
- Reasons for GLOFs
- Geological: Earthquake, breach of moraine dams, etc.
- Morphological: Mass movement into glacial lakes, water seepage through glacial structures, etc.
- Physical: Excessive precipitation, Cryoseism (non-tectonic seismic event of the glacial cryosphere), etc.
- Anthropogenic: Climate Change and global warming, etc.
- Strategies to manage GLOF risks: Hazard risk zonation and mapping, monitoring of glacial lakes using remote-sensing, GIS technology, etc., restrictions and regulations of construction activities in hazard-prone areas, etc.