Page 195 - AWSAR 2.0

in recent times. GLOFs are generally triggered by seismic activity or any extreme climatic event like a cloudburst or any mass movement such as an avalanche or landslide into the lake or when the moraine dam of the
lake gives up. Once the lake
is breached the stored volume
of water flows down rapidly,
engulfing everything that comes
in the way. During a GLOFs
event, the maximum damage
is caused by an immediate
flash flood that follows in the
downstream region. It is this
flooding which poses a risk
to the mountain communities
living in the downstream region.
As many of these glacial
lakes are the source of major
rivers in Sikkim like Teesta
and Rangit, an important part
of my research is to model
the different case scenarios
if such an outburst event will
have on the communities living
downstream. Sikkim, with 12% of its total area under snow and ice cover has more than 1100 glacial lakes, making a thorough study on GLOF risk assessment highly important. The increase in the global average temperature has heavily impacted the Himalayan glacier, melting the glaciers at very high rates. As these glaciers are melting numerous new glacial lakes are being formed all over the Himalayas and the existing ones are expanding exponentially. These lakes have become a ticking time bomb waiting to explode if not checked. The important thing about GLOFs is that they can be predicted and the hazard can be mitigated. Early warning systems have been successfully tested and are being used to alert the downstream communities. This has helped save numerous precious lives in case of a flood event. But the problem is a large
Mr. Rajeev Rajak || 171
number of such lakes, making it impossible to monitor them all.
Here, comes my research, which will focus on the evolution of these glacial lakes and the development of a ranking scheme for assessing their hazard risk, helping identify lakes, which are the most vulnerable. This allows researchers and policymakers to focus their efforts towards monitoring and mitigation efforts. My research with glacial lakes gives me a unique opportunity to work in two different environments. I split my time, on the one hand, sitting in front of the computer working on satellite images to map the glaciers and the glacial lakes and writing computer codes to simulate the effects of any such event and, on the other hand, I walk for days on end across glaciers to reach my study area. Due to the rugged mountainous topography and extreme climate, any attempt at studying these lakes in the field becomes a highly difficult endeavour. Altitudes of more than 5000m and subzero temperatures make everything twice as difficult, basic activities like breathing also become a chore. But life as mountain glaciologist has its own perks; you get to sleep under the clearest of skies, watch the galaxies drift across, feel the cold morning winds and witness the crimson sunrises. You walk for days without coming across another soul, sometimes stepping on grounds, deep inside the glaciers; no human has ever walked on before. The Himalayan mountains, I now walk across are the same mountains I have grown up in and mesmerized by and nothing makes me happier than standing in front of these snow-
clad peaks and knowing that I am home.
GLOF events, which are high- intensity glacial disaster wherein there is a sudden release of all or a part of the water retained in the glacial lakes, have increased in the Himalayan region in recent times. GLOFs are generally triggered by seismic activity or any extreme climatic event like a cloudburst or any mass movement such as an avalanche or landslide into the lake or when the moraine dam of the lake gives up.