Gangtok, Sep 10 (PTI) Sikkim Chief Secretary R Telang on Thursday reviewed preparedness and ongoing measures to mitigate risks associated with potential glacial lake outburst floods in the Himalayan state.
During the meeting at Tashiling Secretariat here, he stressed the importance of ensuring that early warning systems are efficient and reliable.
Such a system must be capable of disseminating alerts at the earliest to enable authorities and communities to take action, he said.
The meeting was held after the recent flash floods in Nepal claimed the lives of 1,377 people so far. Rescue and search operations continue for more than 5,000 missing people, the authorities in the neighbouring country said.
The flash floods, triggered by an ice-rock avalanche
near the Nepal-Tibet border on August 26, devastated towns and villages in northern and central Nepal.
Telang emphasised the need for regular mock exercises and preparedness drills to strengthen institutional coordination, response capacity and community readiness in the event of a glacial lake outburst flood (GLOF) or other related disaster.
The chief secretary also reviewed the inputs presented by various departments and agencies and provided suggestions to the line departments concerned to strengthen coordination, preparedness, monitoring and mitigation measures, an official statement said.
He underscored the importance of maintaining close coordination among scientific institutions and technical agencies to deal with natural disasters.
Telang urged the state departments, project developers, defence organisations and local administrations to address the evolving risks associated with glacial hazards.
During the review meeting, the Department of Science and Technology made a presentation highlighting the significant losses incurred by the state government during the 2023 South Lhonak Lake GLOF and outlined the government’s vision and priorities for strengthening preparedness against future glacial flood events.
It suggested measures such as the establishment and strengthening of early warning systems, developing resilient infrastructure, protecting critical mountain infrastructure such as roads, dams, bridges and habitations, preparing site-specific GLOF mitigation proposals, and strengthening Sikkim’s leadership in glacial hazard risk mitigation.
Presenting the baseline status before the ongoing initiatives, the department highlighted glacial hazard assessment studies and preparedness measures undertaken by the Sikkim State Disaster Management Authority.
It also identified key challenges, including the absence of standardised protocols for scientific hazard and risk assessments, gaps in specialised mitigation expertise, and sensitivities among local communities concerning scientific studies around sacred glacial lakes.
The department stressed the interdisciplinary studies undertaken to integrate science and technology into GLOF risk mitigation, the statement said.
These include hydrometeorological assessments, electrical resistivity tomography (ERT), bathymetric investigations, hydrological and geological studies, and UAV-based terrain mapping.
The presentation also outlined several action-oriented initiatives, including the standardisation of scientific protocols for assessing lake volume, mass movement, hazards and moraine stability through the integration of interdisciplinary studies.
It also highlighted the development of capabilities in hydrodynamic modelling using HEC-RAS to assess flood-flow paths, refinement of GLOF propagation scenarios and preparation of structural mitigation proposals. PTI KDK BDC
