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Himalaya ji Melting of glacier is increasing day by day: Glaciers are melting rapidly due to climate change. Due to which the scope of glacier lakes is continuously increasing towards dangerous situation. The expansion of glacier lakes in the Himalayan regions has seen a 33.7 percent increase over a period of 13 years. The situation has become even more frightening in five states including Uttarakhand. The size of the glacier lakes here has increased by more than 40 percent.
Shocking revelation in DWC report
A recent report by the Central Water Commission (DWC) presents information on changes in the size of glacier lakes. The Central Water Commission studied the situation from 2011 to September 2024 and assessed the changes in the area of Himalayan glacier lakes. It revealed that the area of glacier lakes in India was 1,962 hectares, which has increased by 33.7 percent to 2,623 hectares in September 2024.
As the area of glacier lakes is increasing, the amount of water in other reservoirs is also increasing. In the year 2011, the total area of other water bodies including glacier lakes was 4.33 lakh hectares, which has now increased by 10.81 percent to 5.91 lakh hectares. High-risk glacier lakes increase the risk of flooding in low-lying areas. The threat of floods is also being seen in neighboring countries like Bhutan, Nepal and China.
The situation in the states is worrying
According to the report of the Central Water Commission, 67 such lakes have been identified, whose surface area has increased by more than 40 percent. The melting of glaciers in Uttarakhand including Ladakh, Himachal Pradesh, Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh has become worrying. The risk of Glacial Lake Outburst Flood (GLOF) is highest in such lakes. It is advised to keep a close eye on this.
Last year, the International Center for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) had made an important disclosure in a report that the rate of glacier melting from 2011 to 2020 is 65% higher than that from 2000 to 2010. This speed of melting of glaciers is very worrying. This is because the Himalayas are an important source of water for about 165 crore people. If this trend continues, up to 80 percent of the glaciers may disappear by the end of the century.