The unprecedented devastation and loss of lives in the wake of the Nepal flash floods have set off the alarm bells for Himachal Pradesh, with researchers from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Mandi identifying nine rapidly expanding glacial lakes in the state — terming them ticking “water bombs”.
These lakes could pose a serious threat to downstream communities as rising temperatures accelerate melting of glaciers across the Himalayas, IIT-Mandi researchers said.
The researchers, through analysis of satellite imagery and other datasets, found that the number of glacial lakes in the Himalayan region has increased by nearly 30 per cent over the past decade — their size, too, has expanded significantly.
This raises concerns over the possibility of sudden glacial lake outburst floods that could unleash massive volumes of water and debris downstream, said Prof Dericks P Shukla, Founding Chairperson, School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, IIT-Mandi, who led the six-membe
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