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Critical Topics and Their Significance for the UPSC CSE Examination on August 13, 2024

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Glacial lakes multiply in Himachal and Tibet, poses threat to lives and infra downstream

For Preliminary Examination: Current events of national and international importance

For Mains Examination: GS I - World and Indian Gography

Context:

With glacier sizes rapidly reducing from the impact of changed weather patterns in recent years, there has been a gradual rise of moraine-dammed lakes in Himachal Pradesh and the Trans Himalayan Region of Tibet, posing a potential threat to human life and infrastructure further downstream.

Read about:

What is a glacier lake?

What is a Flash flood?

Key takeaways:

• Due to the rapid reduction in glacier sizes caused by recent changes in weather patterns, moraine-dammed lakes have been gradually increasing in Himachal Pradesh and the Trans Himalayan Region of Tibet, posing potential risks to human lives and infrastructure downstream.
• According to satellite data analyzed in a recent study by the Centre on Climate Change of the Himachal Pradesh Council for Science Technology-Environment (HIMCOSTE), the number of glacial lakes in the Satluj river catchment area has nearly doubled, rising from 562 in 2019 to 1,048 in 2023. This study focused on the catchment area of the Satluj basin, extending from upstream of Jhakri to Mansarover Lake in Tibet, where the river originates.

• Of the 1,048 lakes identified in 2023, 900 are small, each covering less than five hectares. Additionally, 89 lakes span between 5 and 10 hectares, and 59 lakes are larger than 10 hectares each.
•  The basin-wise analysis suggests a higher concentration of lakes in the Tibetan Himalayan Region or the Upper Satluj basin compared to the Spiti and Lower Satluj basins.
• This implies that the Upper Satluj basin is more prone to the formation of glacial lakes. The formation of small lakes in the upper region suggests a more significant impact of climate change at higher altitudes, where the average temperature is rising more rapidly than in lower areas.

• The study, which analyzed multi-spectral satellite images, warns that the increase in glacial lakes in Himachal Pradesh’s river basins could lead to catastrophic events downstream if any of these lakes were to burst.
• Sunil Dhar, Dean of the Department of Environmental Sciences at the Central University of Jammu, emphasized that climate change has adversely affected glaciers across the Himalayan region, leading to a reduction in the cryospheric cover over the terrain.
• This has resulted in the development of high-altitude glacial lakes. Dhar pointed out that the number of such lakes has grown over the years, and they have become unstable due to the increased volume of water or the calving effect of nearby glaciers, leading to avalanches of snow or rocks.
• These lakes pose a potential threat to downstream settlements and infrastructure if they were to burst, depending on the volume of water, velocity, and the spread of the outburst

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