October 05, 2023 / 11:10 AM IST
Sikkim Flash Floods LIVE Update: Warnings of Lhonak Lake’s vulnerability to GLOF ignored over a decade
Several government agencies and scientific expeditions have expressed concerns about the susceptibility of Lhonak Lake in North Sikkim to a glacial lake outburst flood (GLOF) for more than a decade. A report from the Sikkim State Disaster Management Authority (SSDMA) in 2019 pointed out that scientists from the National Remote Sensing Centre in Hyderabad had already identified the lake’s high vulnerability, situated at an altitude of 5,245 meters above sea level, as far back as 2013. The report sounded an alarm about the potential for “flash floods” and the accompanying risk to critical infrastructure such as dams and powerhouses.
In September 2016, a subsequent expedition to South Lhonak Lake, led by a team from the Sikkim State Disaster Management Authority, the Indo-Tibetan Police Force, and the Students Education and Cultural Movement of Ladakh, under the guidance of Sonam Wangchuk, came to the conclusion that “engineering intervention was not feasible” due to the threat posed by melting dead ice.
