GANGTOK, Aug 24: A multi-disciplinary team will conduct a study of five high-risk glacial lakes in Sikkim’s Mangan district, a senior state government official said.
The team will conduct a detailed susceptibility assessment of five high-risk glacial lakes – Khangchung Choo, Gurudongmar Lake A, Gurudongmar Lake B, Gurudongmar Lake C and Shako Chu in Mangan district, Sikkim government’s Science and Technology department secretary, Sandeep Tambe said on Friday.
The team will also conduct a community outreach expedition in Mangan district.
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Tambe said the multi-disciplinary team will focus on reducing the hazard from glacial lakes.
He said the team will take a four-step approach which include, preliminary identification of the high-risk lakes, multi-disciplinary studies, actual structural interventions and mitigation plans.
Tambe said Sikkim has 16 high-risk glacial lakes of which 13 are in Mangan district, and three are in Gyalshing district.
The team will have members of Sikkim State Disaster Management Authority (SSDMA), Science and Technology department, Mines, Geology, Land Revenue and Disaster Management, Water Resources, Forest and Environment department, Sikkim University, Geological Survey of India and Central Water Commission, he said.
The Indian Army and the Indo-Tibetan Border Police will provide all necessary assistance to the multi-disciplinary team.
The multi-disciplinary team expedition will be from August 28 to September 14, he said.
Relief Commissioner Namratha Thapa said to mitigate the risk of glacial lake outburst floods in future, the government has established a technical committee tasked with reviewing the current status of glacial lakes in the state. This committee comprises experts from various fields, who will assess the stability of these lakes and recommend necessary measures to minimise the risk of future disasters, she added.
Mines and Geology department Secretary Dicky Yangzom said her department will have seven members in the multi-disciplinary team which will conduct extensive studies to look into the SubSurface Geological conditions of these lake.
SSDMA Director Prabhakar Rai said the team will visit various locations and engage with local communities to identify high-risk areas.
More than 70 people were killed in a glacial lake outburst flood in Sikkim in October 2023. (PTI)
