Step up preparedness for glacial lake outbursts and avalanches, Centre tells Himalayan states

The Ministry of Home Affairs on Thursday asked states and Union Territories in the Himalayas to step up preparedness against glacial lake outburst floods and snow avalanches.

A glacial lake outburst flood is a sudden release of water from a lake formed by melting glaciers when a natural dam holding it back breaks. Such lakes can form beside, in front of, within, beneath or on the surface of a glacier.

Union Home Secretary Govind Mohan chaired a meeting attended by the chief secretaries and disaster management officials of Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Sikkim, Arunachal Pradesh, and Jammu and Kashmir, the ministry said.

The meeting came against the backdrop of flash floods on the Nepal-China border on August 26, which led to more than 1,300 deaths. Over 5,000 are missing.

Officials reviewed the risk of glacial lake outburst floods in the Himalayas, focussing on early warning, monitoring vulnerable glacial lakes and snow-covered areas.

The review also focused on identifying high-risk locations and flow paths, timely dissemination of alerts, evacuation preparedness and strengthening response mechanisms.

The home secretary said that preparations for natural disasters should focus not just on responding to them, but also on planning ahead, reducing risks and preparing local communities, the ministry stated. He added that there was a need for continuous and...

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