A copy of the order was made available on Wednesday.
The news items titled “Glacial lakes multiply in Himachal Pradesh and Tibet posing a threat to lives and infrastructure downstream” and “Himalayan glacial lakes expand by 10.81 percent in 13 years raising flood concerns and urgent call for action” were published on August 11 and November 4, 2024.
The Central Water Commission (CWC) analyzed 100 Glacial Lake Outburst Floods (GLOF) using the available monthly monitoring data since 2011 to assess trends and potential flood risks, and created a ‘structural risk index’ based on factors such as lake size, growth, slope, stability and downstream infrastructure.
Out of 100 lakes — including 15 in Ladakh, 15 in Jammu and Kashmir, 10 in Himachal Pradesh, nine in Uttarakhand, 42 in Sikkim, and nine in Arunachal Pradesh — 34 lakes showed an increasing trend, 20 a decreasing trend, 44 showed no change, and two were not analyzed.
Further, 67 dams have been constructed along the path of glacial lakes, with the highest number of 23 in Himachal Pradesh, followed by 21 in Uttarakhand. PTI BPL HIG HIG