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India Facing Growing Threats of Glacial Lake Outburst Floods (GLOFs) | Current Affairs | Vision IAS
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India Facing Growing Threats of Glacial Lake Outburst Floods (GLOFs)

Posted 30 Jul 2025

2 min read

GLOFs in the Himalayan Region pose severe risks, as seen in Nepal’s Lende River flash floods. In this regard, enhanced trans-boundary early warning systems are crucial for effective risk mitigation and preparedness.

What are GLOFs?

  • Definition:  A GLOF, is sudden release of water from a lake fed by glacier melt that has formed at the side, in front, within, beneath, or on the surface of a glacier. E.g., The South Lhonak GLOF in 2023
  • The Indian Himalayan Region (IHR) is home to 11 river basins and 28,000 glacial lakes (body of water that originates from a glacier). Two primary types of glacial lakes:
    • Supraglacial lakes: Formed by meltwater in depressions on glaciers, prone to summer melting.
    • Moraine-dammed lakes: Formed by meltwater at glacier toes, dammed by loose debris or ice-cores, prone to sudden failure.

Factors Increasing IHR’s Susceptibility to GLOFs

  • Triggers of GLOFs:
    • 2/3rd of GLOF events is triggered by ice avalanches or landslides.
    • Remaining are caused by excessive meltwater pressure on weak moraine dams (Chorabari GLOF in 2013) and earthquakes.
  • Rising Temperatures and Glacial Melt: 2023 and 2024 were the hottest years on Earth, leading to higher temperatures and increased glacial melt.
  • Challenges in Monitoring7,500 glacial lakes are above 4,500 meters, making them difficult to survey during a short summer window.

India’s Mitigation Strategy for GLOF Risk

  • NDMA, through its Committee on Disaster Risk Reduction (CoDRR), has initiated a proactive shift from mere post-disaster response to risk reduction.
  • National Glacial Lake Outburst Flood (GLOF) Risk Mitigation Project (NGRMP) is implementation in four states namely, Arunachal Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Sikkim and Uttarakhand.
  • The Central Water Commission (CWC) now monitors 902 glacial lakes and water bodies in the Himalayas via satellite imagery.
  • Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) imagery is being used to automatically detect changes in glacial lake size even during clouded monsoon months.
  • Tags :
  • GLOFs
  • Indian Himalayan Region
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