Glacial lakes: India
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Latest revision as of 21:19, 8 September 2026
This is a collection of articles archived for the excellence of their content. |
[edit] Himachal Pradesh
[edit] 2026: Study: Multiplying glacial lakes pose severe flood risk
Rohit.Mullick, August 24, 2026: The Times of India
Kullu: The number of glacial lakes in Himachal Pradesh has surged over fivefold and their total surface area more than doubled since 1990, raising severe risks of glacial lake outburst floods coinciding with extreme rainfall, according to a joint study by IIT Ropar and University of Technology, Sydney.
Researchers found that glacial lakes in the state grew from 107 in 1990 to 669 in 2024 (a 525% increase), expanding their combined area by 102% from 5.5 sq km to 11.2 sq km. Very small lakes (0.01 sq km or less) showed the highest rise in number, jumping from 9 to 487.
Out of 669 lakes, 88 of the 94 measuring at least 0.02 sq km are susceptible to outb-urst flood triggers, primarily due to unstable natural dams, earthquake risks, ice cores and rockfalls. Nine lakes were categorised as “very high hazard”, 18 “high hazard”, and 26 “medium hazard”.
In the Beas basin, the researchers studied Himsu Lake, which has an area of just 0.05 sq km and is fed by a 1.2-sq-km glacier and lies about 30km from Hurla village. In the Satluj basin, they studied an unnamed lake with an area of 0.36 sq km and fed by a 4.9-sq-km glacier. The modelling estimated if the natural dams failed, the peak outburst discharge could reach 1,385 cubic metres per second from the Beas lake and 3,507 cubic metres per second from the Satluj lake.
