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TERI SAS launches M.Sc. (Energy Studies & Management)
Glacier lakes estimation in eastern Himalayas and their vulnerability study

Student name: Mr Nikhil Kumar
Guide: Dr Shresth Tayal
Year of completion: 2016
Host Organisation: The Energy and Resource Institute (TERI), New Delhi
Abstract: In the higher altitudes where glaciers present the concept and phenomena of glacier lakes are common. When there is some storage and impound of water due to moraines and glacial ice, the lakes are formed. Generally these lakes are found in the edge of retreating glaciers where they normally drain there water through some passage or seepage. These lakes are so vulnerable towards geological activities and some extreme events like the extreme rainfall, landslides and other events that they generally burst, these outburst lakes create flash floods which causes invincible amount of destruction to life as well as to resources in lower altitude zones these flash floods is known as “GLOF-Glacial Lake Outburst Flood”. These GLOFs are famous for wide range destruction throughout lower areas and very well known in entire Himalayan region.

By understanding the concept of climate change and its present as well as future consequences there is need of mapping and monitoring of these lakes. So the identification of these glacial lakes are done with the help of remote sensing and GIS where initial work is done with the use of AWiFS data of the time period of 2009-2013 downloaded from Bhuvan. This report represents the knowledge and details of the glacial lakes present on the focused area of Eastern Himalayan state of India which is mainly Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh using techniques of satellite remote sensing.

This report also give an account of total of approx 299 glacier lakes present in two Indian states of Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh >1.2 ha2. The distribution of lakes is different in both of the states which give more complex result towards study of these lakes and their vulnerability. The vulnerability due to glacial lakes is give more severe risk towards to downstream villages in Sikkim state than the state of Arunachal Pradesh it is moderate. The identification of glacial lakes hotspot helps in the future policies making, mitigation and in various risk reduction plans.

Keywords: Himalayas, Glacial Lake, AWiFS, Remote Sensing, GLOF, Risk