Major Glacial Lake Assessments in Arunachal, Sikkim Regions Near China Border
As part of a national initiative to anticipate Glacial Lake Outburst Floods (GLOF), the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) has begun mapping glacial lakes in the Eastern Himalayas. This effort aims to evaluate the possibility of installing early warning systems and other preventive measures. The agency is currently surveying Arunachal Pradesh and Sikkim, two critical regions in the Eastern Himalayas near the China border.
Specialized teams have been deployed to conduct a survey and study of six high-risk glacial lakes in the Tawang and Dibang Valley districts of Arunachal Pradesh, which shares a 1,080 km-long boundary with China. Reports indicate that over five bridges have been washed away due to a glacial lake outburst from Sangnga Nehgu Lake in the Tawang district. This marks the first-ever survey of glacial lakes in this border state.