‘3 million people in India at risk of flooding by glacial lakes, total 15 million worldwide’
More than half of the globally exposed populations found in India, Pakistan, Peru, China: Study
Three million people in India are at risk of flooding caused by glacial lakes, the highest number of those exposed in the world, according to new study.
The study by an international team led by scientists at UK’s Newcastle University, UK is the first global assessment of areas at greatest risk of Glacial Lake Outburst Floods (GLOF).
Published in the journal Nature Communications on Tuesday, it estimates that 15 million people around the world are at risk from flooding caused by glacial lakes.
The researchers, which also identified priority areas for mitigation, said more than half the globally exposed populations are found in just four countries: India, Pakistan, Peru, and China.
India and Pakistan contain the highest number of exposed people – nearly three million and two million people respectively, or one-third of the global total combined – while Iceland contains the least (260 people), they said.
As the climate gets warmer, glaciers retreat and meltwater collects at the front of the glacier, forming a lake.
These lakes can suddenly burst and create a fast-flowing GLOF that can spread over a large distance from the original site – more than 120 kilometres in some cases.
GLOFs can be highly destructive and damage property, infrastructure, and agricultural land and can lead to significant loss of life.
Flash floods potentially triggered by a GLOF event in Uttarakhand’s Chamoli district in February 2021 left nearly 80 people dead and many more missing.
The number of glacial lakes has grown rapidly since 1990 as a result of climate change. At the same time, the number of people living in these catchments has also incre-
ased significantly.
The research team looked at 1,089 glacial lake basins worldwide and the number of people living within 50 kilometres of them, as well as the level of development in those areas and other societal indicators as markers of vulnerability to GLOFs.
They then used this information to quantify and rank the potential for damage from GLOFs at a global scale and assess communities’ ability to respond effectively to a flood.
The results highlighted that 15 million people live within 50 km of a glacial lake and that High Mountain Asia – which encompasses the Tibetan Plateau, from Kyrgyzstan to China – has the highest Glacial Lake Outburst Floods danger, with 9.3 million people potentially at risk.
