Jammu: At least five glacial lakes in the Kashmir Himalaya have “very high susceptibility” to glacial lake outburst floods (GLOFs), even though they are not immediately unstable, Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah said on Tuesday.
Speaking in the Assembly, Abdullah said a preliminary geospatial analysis was conducted to map downstream exposure of glacial lakes, identifying habitations and critical infrastructure along potential flood paths in districts like Ganderbal, Shopian and Kulgam.
The study was recently conducted by the University of Kashmir, published in the Journal of Glaciology, assessed 155 glacial lakes using hydro-geomorphic indicators such as
lake expansion rate, dam stability and surrounding conditions.
According to the study, around 2,704 buildings, nearly 15 major bridges, road segments and at least one hydropower project could be affected in the event of a glacial lake outburst flood -- a high-magnitude catastrophic flood caused by the failure of a dam containing a glacial lake.
“The study identified Bramsar, Chirsar, Nundkol, Gangabal and Bhagsar lakes as falling under the ‘very high susceptibility’ category,” he said, replying to a question of National Conference MLA Tanvir Sadiq. Agencies