Centre reviews avalanche, flood readiness in Himalayas

NEW DELHI: Ladakh’s preparedness to deal with Glacial Lake Outburst Floods (GLOFs) and snow avalanches came under the Centre’s review on Thursday, with Union Home Secretary Govind Mohan calling for proactive monitoring of vulnerable areas, faster dissemination of warnings and stronger evacuation and response mechanisms across the Himalayan region.

The review covered Himalayan states and Union Territories, with the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) saying the meeting took stock of early warning systems, monitoring of vulnerable glacial lakes and snow-covered areas, identification of high-risk locations and flow paths, timely dissemination of alerts, evacuation preparedness and response mechanisms.

Chief Secretaries and representatives of the State Disaster Management Authorities of Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Sikkim, Arunachal Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir, along with senior officials from the MHA, National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), Central Water Commission (CWC), India Meteorological Department (IMD) and Defence Geoinformatics Research Establishment (DGRE), attended the meeting.

The participating states and Union Territory presented their respective preparedness and mitigation strategies, including measures to monitor vulnerable glacial lakes, strengthen early warning systems, improve last-mile dissemination of alerts, plan flow paths, prepare communities and deploy response resources in vulnerable areas.

The vulnerabilities and preparedness measures specific to each state and Union Territory were also discussed, with emphasis on translating mitigation plans into concrete action at the district and local levels.

Mohan stressed the need for continuous and proactive monitoring of vulnerable glacial lakes and avalanche-prone areas, particularly during periods of heightened risk.

“The states/UTs were advised to maintain close coordination among state agencies, district administrations and scientific and technical institutions so that warnings are acted upon promptly and effectively,” the MHA said in a statement.

The Home Secretary asked the states and Union Territories to strengthen preparedness for GLOFs and snow avalanches and move beyond response-oriented measures towards risk-informed planning, preventive mitigation and community-level preparedness.

He also asked the authorities to regularly review their preparedness plans, identify gaps in early warning and evacuation arrangements and undertake corrective measures in advance of any extreme event.

The MHA said Mohan also highlighted the need to expedite the progress of GLOF mitigation projects sanctioned by the Central Government for the states in 2024. The meeting concluded with directions for continued inter-agency coordination, regular sharing of risk information and further strengthening of early warning and response mechanisms to minimise loss of life and property in vulnerable Himalayan areas.