Uttarakhand To Monitor 13 Sensitive Glacial Lakes

Dehradun: Taking a lesson from the recent glacial lake tragedy in Nepal, the Uttarakhand government has decided to strengthen monitoring of all glacial lakes in the state, including 13 identified as sensitive. Surveys of Saraswati Tal in Chamoli district and Kedartal in Uttarkashi will be taken up soon.

Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami, chairing a high-level meeting to review potential threats from glacial lakes, directed officials to ensure continuous scientific monitoring and install state-of-the-art early warning systems in disaster-prone areas.

Dhami instructed disaster management secretary Vinod Kumar Suman to conduct comprehensive surveys and scientific studies of sensitive glacial lakes across the state. He directed that lake conditions, water levels, changes in volume, stability of the surrounding terrain and risk zones be assessed regularly.

The Chief Minister also directed officials to install modern sensors, water-level gauges, communication systems and other technical equipment to provide timely warnings of potential disasters.

District magistrates were asked to closely monitor high-risk locations in their districts and ensure that unusual activity is reported promptly to higher authorities.

Suman told the meeting that experts had identified 13 glacial lakes in Uttarakhand as sensitive. Four have already been surveyed, while the remaining lakes will be covered in phased surveys and scientific studies.

He said a team of experts would soon survey Saraswati Tal glacial lake in Chamoli district and Kedartal lake in Uttarkashi. The surveys would assess the condition of the lakes, water levels, risk susceptibility and potential downstream impact.

Suman said monitoring systems were being developed to establish an operational mechanism covering early warning, relief and rescue operations. The measures include continuous monitoring of high-risk lakes, installation of advanced sensors and early warning equipment, real-time data feeds, increasing the number of devices where required, improving communication channels and strengthening the preparedness of local administrations.

At a separate meeting, state advisory committee, disaster management department, vice-chairman Vinay Ruhela said the geographical conditions of Uttarakhand's mountain regions closely resembled those of Nepal.

Taking a cue from the Nepal disaster, he directed continuous monitoring of identified disaster-prone sites and regular coordination meetings with dam and barrage managers to ensure that downstream populations receive timely warnings before water releases.

Uttarakhand has witnessed major disasters linked in the copy to glacial lakes in the Kedar Valley in 2013 and at Dharali in 2025. Thousands of people were killed in the 2013 Kedarnath disaster after the Chorabari lake above the Kedarnath temple burst, triggering a massive flash flood.

The 2025 Dharali tragedy was attributed in the copy to the bursting of a glacial lake near Gangotri, which engulfed the market area and left hundreds of people missing.