As part of a national initiative to anticipate Glacial Lake Outburst Floods (GLOF), the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) has begun mapping glacial lakes in the Eastern Himalayas. This effort aims to evaluate the possibility of installing early warning systems and other preventive measures. The agency is currently surveying Arunachal Pradesh and Sikkim, two critical regions in the Eastern Himalayas near the China border.
Specialized teams have been deployed to conduct a survey and study of six high-risk glacial lakes in the Tawang and Dibang Valley districts of Arunachal Pradesh, which shares a 1,080 km-long boundary with China. Reports indicate that over five bridges have been washed away due to a glacial lake outburst from Sangnga Nehgu Lake in the Tawang district. This marks the first-ever survey of glacial lakes in this border state.
Sikkim has also dispatched a team of 32 specialists to assess five at-risk glacial lakes—Gurudongmar A, B, and C, Sakho Chu, and Khangchu—all located in the Mangan district, which borders Tibet.
The experts will be surveying the lakes from August 28 to September 14, with a budget of around ₹32 lakh.
The team is being led by Sandeep Tambe, the State Science and Technology Secretary, along with experts from six different departments, including the State Disaster Management Authority (SDMA) under the Land Revenue Department, Mines and Geology, Water Resources, Forest, Science and Technology, and research scholars from Sikkim University.
The mission will also be supported by the Indian Army and Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP), bringing together a total of 56 personnel, including drivers and porters.
“We will conduct advanced studies to analyze the geology of the glacial lakes, understand glacier behavior, and assess slope stability and risks of avalanches and GLOFs. This research, conducted at an altitude of 18,000 feet, will inform our future mitigation strategies,” said Sandeep Tambe, Secretary of Sikkim’s Science and Technology Department.
The last expedition was conducted by the NDMA in collaboration with Swiss experts before the 2023 lake outburst in South Lhonak, Sikkim.