New Delhi, 03 September (H.S.):

Union Home Secretary Govind Mohan on Thursday chaired a high-level review meeting in New Delhi to assess preparedness for addressing the risks posed by Glacial Lake Outburst Floods (GLOFs) and avalanches in the Himalayan states and Union Territories.

The meeting comes against the backdrop of the recent flooding in Nepal caused by a GLOF, which resulted in significant loss of life.

The Home Secretary made it clear that strategies to deal with GLOFs and avalanches should not be limited to response measures. He placed particular emphasis on risk-informed planning, preventive mitigation measures and preparedness at the community level. He also directed the states to expedite the implementation of the GLOF mitigation project approved by the Central Government in 2024.

The review meeting focused on the continuous monitoring of vulnerable glacial lakes and snow-covered areas, identification of high-risk locations, strengthening of early warning systems and timely dissemination of alerts to the last mile. Emphasis was also laid on improving coordination among state agencies, district administrations and scientific and technical institutions, as well as mapping water-flow channels, preparing evacuation plans and pre-positioning essential resources in vulnerable areas.

The meeting concluded with directions to maintain sustained inter-agency coordination and ensure regular exchange of information so that loss of life and damage to property in the Himalayan regions can be minimised.

Chief Secretaries and representatives of the State Disaster Management Authorities (SDMAs) of Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Sikkim, Arunachal Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir participated in the meeting. Senior officials from the Ministry of Home Affairs, National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), Central Water Commission (CWC), India Meteorological Department (IMD) and Defence Geo-Informatics Research Establishment (DGRE) were also present.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar