Delegation from the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) visited Tenchungkha Lake in Sikkim on Sunday. This visit marks the beginning of the GLOF Early Warning System (EWS) Mission, which aims to study 16 critical lakes in Sikkim within this year. The initiative is part of a broader government effort to establish early warning systems across 188 vulnerable glacial lakes in the Indian Himalayan Region, which are at risk of glacial lake outburst floods (GLOFs).
The mission has been launched in response to the tragic GLOF event on October 3, 2023, which resulted in over 40 fatalities. The NDMA’s mission includes a joint expedition involving officials from NDMA, scientists from the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), and members of the State Disaster Management Authority. The team will conduct on-ground assessments and devise mitigation strategies to address the risks posed by these glacial lakes. The critical lakes under scrutiny span several states, including Uttarakhand, Arunachal Pradesh, Sikkim, Himachal Pradesh, Ladakh, Jammu and Kashmir, Meghalaya, Manipur, and Nagaland.
Following the recent Sikkim disaster, high-level meetings concluded that mapping vulnerable lakes and installing advanced warning systems are essential for effective hazard management. As glacial lakes expand due to rising temperatures, the threat of GLOFs increases, necessitating proactive measures for risk assessment and management. A senior government official emphasised the urgency of addressing these risks to prevent future calamities, highlighting the need for comprehensive planning and advanced warning systems across the region.
