Dehradun (Uttarakhand): The natural calamities in Uttarakhand are a recurring phenomenon. The incidents of the formation of glacial lakes are also increasing day by day, leading to massive floods. In this alarming situation the scientists of Wadia Institute of Himalayan Geology, have proposed an early warning system for the Glacial Lake Outburst flood.
According to the scientists, there are almost 1,200 glacial lakes in Uttarakhand, though not a single lake out of that is not dangerous, yet there is a constant danger of the Glacial Lake Outburst flood. As a result, these lakes are being constantly monitored.
Two glacial lakes in Uttarakhand burst their banks within three months in early 2021, with tragic consequences for mountain communities and ecosystems. A glacier lake breach in February caused flash floods that swept through the Rishi Ganga River. At least 61 people were killed, with another 143 missing, and two hydropower projects, as well as an important bridge, were severely damaged. Heavy rain and snowfall in the same district in April caused a portion of a glacier to collapse, killing 12 people.
Dr. Kalachand Sai, Director of Wadia Institute of Himalayan Geology, said, "A proposal has been sent to monitor the glacial lakes. Work on which will start soon. There are about 10,000 glaciers in the Himalayas, out of which the Uttarakhand region alone has about a thousand glaciers. In such a situation, there is no need to monitor all the glaciers, but the glacier near which there is a human settlement needs to be monitored."
Read: 'Lakes' under Mars south pole may not be real
"There is an urgent requirement to establish a network, from where these glaciers can be monitored. The network will be established at a place where all the data will be collected. After that, monitoring of that area will be done through satellite data including glaciological data, hydrological data, meteorological data, and seismological data through online transmission. This system will give an idea of what's happening in the glacial lake?" he added.
"The early warning system of Glacier Lake Outburst is very different from the warning system for Landslide and Earthquakes. Because the glacier lake outburst occurs at a very high altitude and the habilitation is much lower from there. In such a situation, if any incident happens, there will be a window of 20-25 minutes. In such a situation, if an early warning system is developed, then the loss of life during the Glacial Lake outburst can be negligible," Dr. Kalachand said.
Read: Chamoli: 1 dead body recovered from chamoli tunnel, 79 recovered till now
