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Why Do GLOFs Happen?
- Climate Change: The main cause is climate change, which leads to glaciers melting faster, creating more glacial lakes.
- Glacier Retreat: When glaciers melt, they leave depressions that fill with water, forming lakes. If these lakes get too big, they can burst.
- Glacier Surge: Sometimes glaciers move rapidly, blocking water flow and forming lakes. If the glacier suddenly retreats, it can release this water all at once.
- Weak Damming Material: The materials holding the lake (like moraine and ice) are often weak and unstable.
- Natural Events: Earthquakes, avalanches, or landslides can destabilize the dams.
- Human Activities: Construction, mining, and other human activities can also weaken the natural barriers around these lakes.
Vulnerability of India to GLOFs:
- ISRO’s Glacial Lake Atlas shows over 28,000 glacial lakes, with many identified as vulnerable to outbursts.
- Sikkim, Uttarakhand, and Jammu and Kashmir are particularly vulnerable, with hundreds of identified glacial lakes at risk of causing GLOFs.
Why in News:
- Recently, the Uttarakhand government has constituted experts teams to evaluate the risk posed by potentially hazardous glacial lakes in the region.
