Expressing concern over the loss of lives in the Nepal flash floods, chief minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu stressed the need for scientific research into cloudbursts, glacier behaviour, changing temperatures and the formation of glacial lakes across the Himalayan region amid rising temperatures.
A team had visited Himachal for the same. Citing the threat to other Himalayan states, including Uttarakhand and Jammu and Kashmir, he expressed concern over glacial lakes forming in the Tibet region. “Glaciers in Himachal Pradesh are also being studied. In some places, glacial lakes have formed in Lahaul-Spiti. Ghepan Lake in Sissu, Lahaul-Spiti, also poses a significant threat, and there have been proposals to install an early warning system there. Glaciers in Lahaul-Spiti district of Himachal Pradesh are melting rapidly. Tibetan leaders in exile call for study Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama condoled the loss of lives in the floods in Nepal and Tibet. Since this region has seen calamities in the past as well, these are certainly symptoms of a deeper underlying cause, whether climate change or other factors, he observed.
He recalled the devastating cloudburst in Kinnaur in 1993, as well as the disasters experienced by the state in recent years. The lake’s expanse has grown by 173% over the past 33 years. The number of glacial lakes in Himachal has increased more than fivefold since 1990, according to a joint study by IIT Ropar and the University of Technology Sydney.
Because of climate change, in some areas, glaciers are increasing, while in others they are receding.
Speaking to Hindustan Times, Sukhu said the increasing frequency of cloudbursts, flash floods and glacial lake-related events across the Himalayan region pointed to the growing impact of climate change. I do not know what emerged from the study,” Sukhu said. All these aspects need to be studied scientifically,” he said.
“I met the Union home minister earlier and suggested that a team comprising IIT experts and other scientists conduct a scientific study.
