Glacial Lake Outburst Floods (GLOFs)

15 Nov 2024 15:35:13 pm

Tags : Glacial Lake Outburst Floods (GLOFs)

Topic: Disaster Management

Why in the news?

Glacial lakes and other water bodies across the Himalayan region saw a 10.81% increase in area from 2011 to 2024 due to climate change, signalling a heightened risk of glacial lake outburst floods (GLOFs), according to a government report of the Central Water Commission (CWC) report. It states that with a 33.7% expansion of the surface area, the lakes in India experienced an even more substantial rise.

Source: The Hindu

About Glacial Lake Outburst Floods (GLOFs):

These are a type of catastrophic floods that occur when the dam containing a glacial lake fails, releasing a large volume of water.
These are typically caused by rapid melting of glaciers or the buildup of water in the lake due to heavy precipitation or the inflow of meltwater.
- In February 2021, Chamoli district in Uttarakhand witnessed flash floods which are suspected to have been caused by GLOFs.
These floods can be triggered by a number of factors, including:
- changes in the volume of the glacier
- changes in the water level of the lake
- earthquakes
According to NDMA (National Disaster Management Authority), glacial retreat due to climate change occurring in most parts of the Hindu Kush Himalayas has given rise to the formation of numerous new glacial lakes, which are the major cause of GLOFs.

Central Water Commission (CWC):

It is a premier Technical Organization of India in the field of Water Resources.
It is presently functioning as an attached office of the Ministry of Jal Shakti, Department of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation, Government of India.
Functions:
- It is entrusted with the general responsibilities of initiating, coordinating and furthering in consultation of the State Governments concerned, schemes for control, conservation and utilization of water resources throughout the country, for the purpose of flood control, irrigation, navigation, drinking water supply and water power development.
- It also undertakes the investigations, construction and execution of any such schemes as required.
It is headed by a Chairman, with the status of Ex-Officio Secretary to the Government of India.
Its work is divided among 3 wings namely, Designs and Research (D&R) Wing, River Management (RM) Wing and Water Planning and Projects (WP&P) Wing.
- Each wing is placed under the charge of a full-time Member with the status of Ex-Officio Additional Secretary to the Government of India.