SRINAGAR: The Jammu and Kashmir Government has acknowledged the growing threat of Glacial Lake Outburst Floods (GLOFs) in the Union Territory amid rising global temperatures, accelerated glacier melt and the expansion of glacial lakes. Notably, 68 of the 616 identified glacial lakes are classified as Potentially Dangerous Glacial Lakes (PDGLs).
The government disclosed this information in a reply to a question raised by NC MLA Tanvir Sadiq in the Legislative Assembly.
According to the government, the risk of GLOFs has been identified in several districts, including Kishtwar, Ganderbal, Kulgam and Anantnag, where the presence of glacial lakes and changing climatic conditions warrant enhanced surveillance and preparedness.
The University of Kashmir has identified 616 glacial lakes across 12 districts, covering a combined area of 28.62 square kilometres.
Of these, 68 have been delineated as potentially dangerous based on criteria established by the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA).
The disclosure comes against the backdrop of extreme weather events in J&K in recent years. According to government data, the cloudbursts and flash floods over the last two years have caused casualties and damaged more than 24,000 residential houses, 5,000 roads and 4,000 water supply schemes, besides affecting nearly one lakh hectares of agricultural and orchard land.
To address the threat posed by high-risk glacial lakes, the government constituted a dedicated Core Committee in September 2024.
The committee subsequently categorised 24 high-priority lakes into Categories A, B and C, based on 17 risk parameters. The National Remote Sensing Centre (NRSC) has also mapped 546 glacial lakes larger than 0.25 hectares in J&K.
Various scientific and technical institutions, including the Central Water Commission, State Disaster Management authorities and IITs, have mapped and assessed high-risk or highly susceptible lakes, including Gangabal, Kousar Nag, Harnag, Mundiksar, Hangu Lake, Boud Sar and Sheshnag.
To strengthen real-time surveillance and early warning, the Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (C-DAC) has been nominated as the lead technical agency to design and implement an indigenous GIS-based GLOF Early Warning System for J&K.
A Memorandum of Agreement with C-DAC has been framed and is in process. The proposed system will include water-level monitoring buoy systems with satellite communication, Automatic Weather Stations to monitor temperature, humidity, wind and snow depth, and Glacial Lake Vision Units equipped with cameras and deformation-detection technology.
It will also include a web portal and Spatial Decision Support System for real-time monitoring and dissemination of alerts. A UT-level Focused GLOF Monitoring Committee (FGMC), headed by the Principal Secretary, Home Department, has also been constituted.
The committee has held five meetings to review surveillance, risk assessment, mitigation and early warning mechanisms. At its first meeting on April 24, 2024, C-DAC was nominated as the lead agency for GLOF mitigation measures and expeditions to high-risk lakes.
Aerial and helicopter reconnaissance of the Amarnath Yatra routes was also proposed to assess GLOF, landslide and avalanche risks.
At its fifth meeting on August 28, 2025, the committee directed the Core Committee to finalise institutions and schedules for scientific expeditions to high-risk lakes and prioritise the EWS/AWS agreement with C-DAC.
District-level teams have been directed to undertake downstream Hazard, Vulnerability and Risk Assessments, while District Disaster Management Authorities have been asked to prepare GLOF risk-reduction plans, map vulnerable villages and critical infrastructure, and identify safe evacuation locations.