Focused Glacial Lake Outburst Flood | Monitoring Committee to identify vulnerable glacial lakes in J&K

Jammu, Apr 4:  J&K government has constituted Focused Glacial Lake Outburst Flood (GLOF) Monitoring Committee (FGMC), led by Principal Secretary Home department to review the current status of glacier and glacial lakes in the Union Territory.

The Committee has also been tasked to identify the vulnerable glacial lakes in J&K in terms of GLOF, as per the list provided by National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA).

As per an inventory of Himalayan Glaciers of Geological Survey of India, Jammu and Kashmir has over 540 glacial lakes spread in an area of 2550.79 hectares while Ladakh has around 3200 glacial lakes spanning 9965.34 hectares.

TASKS IDENTIFIED FOR CRUCIAL PANEL

As per the terms of reference, the Committee will suggest the site-specific best technical measures to minimize glacial threat in identified glacial lakes and the roles and responsibilities of the different stakeholders. To recommend action required on human resources generation or capacity building towards the study and management of glacial retreat and associated threats, will also be part of the panel's mandate.

It has been mandated to suggest any other specific measures to minimize the glacial threat in J&K. The proposed Committee may, as and when required, also consult leading experts or organizations while ensuring compliance with relevant technical standards, regulations and best practices.

WHAT IS GLOF
A GLOF, as per the Department of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation, is a “type of flood occurring when water dammed by a glacier or a moraine is released suddenly. When glaciers melt, the water in these glacial lakes accumulates behind loose naturally formed 'glacial or moraine dams' made of boulders, gravels, pebbles, sand, clay and ice residue.”

Unlike earthen dams, the weak structure of the moraine dam leads to the abrupt failure of the moraine dam bounding the glacial lake.

CAUSES OF GLOF
Various triggering causes of GLOFs, identified by the department, are high or extreme surface runoff from the upstream catchment resulting from heavy precipitation or cloud burst; cascading flood from upstream lakes; failure or break open of temporary moraine dam due to water pressure or long-term degradation besides landslide, earthquake or geological activity.

The studies of the department point out that with the receding glaciers and rising temperature, the probability of their occurrences has risen in many mountain ranges, particularly on the debris-covered glaciers. Since the majority of such lakes in Himalaya are located in remote regions, the people living downstream are caught unaware of the approaching catastrophe resulting in loss of life, besides damages.

MAJOR GLOF CATASTROPHES IN RECENT PAST
Among major catastrophes in Himalayan region include flooding phenomenon of Kedarnath, Uttarakhand in 2013; flooding phenomenon of Jhelum and Chenab basin in J&K in 2014; landslide on the Phutkal river in Zanskar Valley in Kargil district in 2014 and Chamoli incident in 2021.

FGMC PROFILE
Besides, Principal Secretary Home, the panel (FGMC) will comprise Director Ecology, Environment and Remote Sensing, Union Territory of J&K; Prof A Ramsoo, Vice Chancellor, Islamic University of Sciences & Technology, J&K; Deputy Inspector General, ITBP, Srinagar; Commandant SDRF, 1st Bn; Director Finance, Disaster Management Relief Rehabilitation and Reconstruction Department; Dr Ajay Kumar, Director, GSI, J&K; Dr Mukhtar Ahmad, Director, IMD, J&K; Dr Binay Kumar, GLOF expert, C-DAC; Prof Bikram Singh Bali, HoD, School of Earth Sciences, University of Kashmir; Prof Avtar Singh Jasrotia, HoD, Remote Sensing, University of Jammu; Prof Parvaiz Ahmad, HoD, Department of Geography and Disaster Management, University of Kashmir; Dr Zubair Ali, Scientist F, Additional Director DGRE; Dr Piyush Gourav, Senior Consultant GLOF, NDMA and Waseem Shafi Dar, Senior Consultant, Disaster Management, Disaster Management Relief Rehabilitation and Reconstruction Department as its members.

Secretary, Disaster Management Relief Rehabilitation and Reconstruction Department will be its member secretary.

Deputy Commissioners of the concerned districts will be permanent invitees to all meetings of FGMC. The chairperson may co-opt any member or members to obtain required technical and inter-disciplinary inputs for the Committee.

Facilities to be extended to the Committee members will be governed in terms of Section 21(3) of the Disaster Management Act, 2005. Panel will be assisted by concerned departments in their field studies or observations.

The committee will be serviced by the Disaster Management Relief Rehabilitation and Reconstruction Department.