Union Home Secretary Govind Mohan chaired a meeting with Himalayan States and Union Territories on Thursday (September 3, 2026), to review their preparedness to face Glacial Lake Outburst Floods (GLOFs) and snow avalanches, stressing the need for proactive monitoring, risk-informed planning, and stronger early warning systems.
The meeting was attended by the Chief Secretaries and State Disaster Management Authorities of Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Sikkim, Arunachal Pradesh, and Jammu & Kashmir, along with senior officials from the Ministry of Home Affairs, the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), the Central Water Commission (CWC), the India Meteorological Department (IMD), and the Defence Geoinformatics Research Establishment (DGRE). The Home Secretary also urged States and UTs to regularly assess their preparedness plans, identify gaps in early warning and evacuation systems, and take corrective measures well in advance of any extreme event.
He said that preparedness efforts should move beyond a response-oriented approach and focus on preventive mitigation, risk reduction, and community-level readiness.
