{"id":125715,"date":"2024-08-10T19:31:47","date_gmt":"2024-08-10T14:01:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/?post_type=current-affairs&#038;p=125715"},"modified":"2024-08-12T16:58:00","modified_gmt":"2024-08-12T11:28:00","slug":"glacial-lake-outburst-floods","status":"publish","type":"current-affairs","link":"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/current-affairs\/glacial-lake-outburst-floods","title":{"rendered":"Glacial Lake Outburst Floods"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">After the <\/span><b>Teesta-III Hydroelectric dam<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> collapsed in October 2023, <\/span><b>the Central Water Commission (CWC) <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">decided to review the flood management plans of all dams that could be affected by <\/span><b><a href=\"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/current-affairs\/glacial-lake-floods\/\">GLOFs (Glacial Lake Outburst Floods)<\/a>.<\/b><\/p>\n<h2><span style=\"font-size: 18pt;\"><b>Objective\u00a0<\/b><\/span><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The review aims to ensure these dams can handle <\/span><b>extreme flood situations<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, including both Probable Maximum Floods and GLOFs.<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">From now on, GOLF Studies has been made <\/span><b>mandatory for all new dams<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> planned having <\/span><b>Glacial Lakes in their catchments.<\/b><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><span class=\"vc_button\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.pw.live\/batches\/upsc?utm_source=seo+upsc+batch&#038;utm_medium=seo+upsc&#038;utm_campaign=seo&#038;utm_id=upsc\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Enroll now for UPSC Online Course<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<table style=\"width: 100.099%;\">\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<th style=\"width: 100%; border-style: solid; border-color: #000000; background-color: rgba(184, 165, 217, 0.53); text-align: left; vertical-align: middle;\">\n<h3><span style=\"font-size: 16pt; color: #000000;\"><b>Committee on Disaster Risk Reduction (CoDRR)<\/b><\/span><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A committee under the <\/span><b>National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">) works with representatives from six Himalayan states and other stakeholders.<\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This committee has identified high-risk glacial lakes and plans to send teams to these lakes to develop strategies for<\/span><b> reducing disaster risks,<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> including setting up early warning systems.<\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<h2><span style=\"font-size: 18pt;\"><b>The Central Water Commission (CWC)<\/b><\/span><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The CWC monitors 902 glacial lakes and water bodies every year from <\/span><b>June to October, i<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">ncluding large lakes over 50 hectares and smaller ones between 10 to 50 hectares.<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This monitoring helps track changes in these lakes and identify any that might pose a disaster risk<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><span style=\"font-size: 18pt;\"><b>What are Glacial Lake Outburst Floods?<\/b><\/span><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A<\/span><b> Glacial Lake Outburst Flood (GLOF)<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> is a <\/span><b>severe flood event that occurs when the natural or artificial dam holding a glacial lake breaks.<\/b><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It releases a significant volume of water downstream.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><span style=\"font-size: 16pt;\"><b>Main Features of Glacial Lake Outburst Floods<\/b><\/span><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li><b>Sudden Water Releases <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: GLOFs involve abrupt and occasionally cyclical discharges of water.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><b>Rapid Duration <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: These floods typically occur quickly, lasting from hours to a few days.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><b>River Discharges<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: GLOFs lead to significant increases in downstream river flows, often multiplying by an order of magnitude.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><span class=\"vc_button\"><a href=\"https:\/\/store.pw.live\/govt-entrance-exams\/upsc-books\/upsc-textbooks?utm_source=SEO&#038;utm_medium=PW+Live&#038;utm_campaign=UPSC+Textbooks\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Check Out UPSC NCERT Textbooks From PW Store<\/span><\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"font-size: 16pt;\"><b>Causes of Glacial Lake Outburst Floods<\/b><\/span><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Trigger Factors<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">:\u00a0 rapid glacier melting, heavy rainfall, inflow of meltwater, changes in glacier volume, lake water levels, or earthquakes.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Climate Change Impact<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: Glacier retreat in the Hindu Kush Himalayas due to climate change is leading to the formation of new glacial lakes, increasing GLOF risk.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<table style=\"width: 99.8996%;\">\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<th style=\"border-style: solid; border-color: #000000; background-color: rgba(184, 165, 217, 0.53); text-align: left; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%;\">\n<h2><span style=\"font-size: 18pt; color: #000000;\"><b>GLOF Risk Mitigation Project<\/b><\/span><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><b>Leadership<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: This project was approved by a High-Level Committee led by the Union Home Minister.<\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><b>Focus Areas<\/b><\/span>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><b>Supported States<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: The project targets Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Sikkim, and Arunachal Pradesh.<\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><b>Objective<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: To implement preventive measures and reduce the risk of Glacial Lake Outburst Floods (GLOFs) in these states.<\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<h2><span style=\"font-size: 18pt;\"><b>Impacts of Glacial Lake Outburst Floods (GLOFs)<\/b><\/span><\/h2>\n<table style=\"width: 99.8996%;\">\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"text-align: center; width: 30.6225%; border-style: solid; border-color: #000000;\"><b>Impact<\/b><\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: center; width: 69.2464%; border-style: solid; border-color: #000000;\"><b>Description<\/b><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 30.6225%; border-style: solid; border-color: #000000;\"><b>Sudden Flash Floods<\/b><\/td>\n<td style=\"width: 69.2464%; border-style: solid; border-color: #000000;\">\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">GLOFs can cause massive surges of water and debris to surge down valleys with little warning.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This can overwhelm river channels and cause catastrophic flooding downstream.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 30.6225%; border-style: solid; border-color: #000000;\"><b>Widespread Property Damage and Loss of Life<\/b><\/td>\n<td style=\"width: 69.2464%; border-style: solid; border-color: #000000;\">\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The immense volume and power of GLOFs can destroy houses, buildings, bridges, roads, and other infrastructure.\u00a0<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This can lead to significant economic losses.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The sudden nature of GLOFs can make it difficult for people to evacuate to safety, leading to tragic loss of life.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Additionally, survivors may be displaced from their homes and communities.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 30.6225%; border-style: solid; border-color: #000000;\"><b>Disruption of Essential Services<\/b><\/td>\n<td style=\"width: 69.2464%; border-style: solid; border-color: #000000;\">\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">GLOFs can damage critical infrastructure such as power grids, water treatment plants, and communication networks.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This can disrupt essential services and hinder rescue and recovery efforts.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 30.6225%; border-style: solid; border-color: #000000;\"><b>Environmental Damage<\/b><\/td>\n<td style=\"width: 69.2464%; border-style: solid; border-color: #000000;\">\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">GLOFs can cause erosion, sedimentation, and contamination of water sources.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This can have a devastating impact on aquatic ecosystems and agricultural land.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 30.6225%; border-style: solid; border-color: #000000;\"><b>Long-Term Impacts<\/b><\/td>\n<td style=\"width: 69.2464%; border-style: solid; border-color: #000000;\">\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The effects of GLOFs can be felt for years or even decades.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Rebuilding infrastructure, restoring ecosystems, and coping with psychological trauma can be a long and challenging process.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><span class=\"vc_button\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.pw.live\/batches\/upsc\/pw-only-ias?utm_source=seo+upsc+batch&#038;utm_medium=seo+upsc&#038;utm_campaign=seo&#038;utm_id=upsc\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Enroll now for UPSC Online Classes<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<table style=\"width: 99.7992%;\">\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<th style=\"border-style: solid; border-color: #000000; background-color: rgba(184, 165, 217, 0.53); text-align: left; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%;\">\n<h3><span style=\"font-size: 16pt; color: #000000;\"><strong>Central Water Commission<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It\u00a0 is <\/span><b>a premier Technical Organization<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> of India in the field of Water Resources and is presently functioning as an<\/span><b> attached office of the Ministry of Jal Shakti,<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Department of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation, Government of India.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Commission is entrusted with the general responsibilities of<\/span><b> initiating, coordinating and furthering in consultation of the State Governments<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> concerned, schemes for control, conservation and utilization of water resources throughout the country, for purpose of<\/span><b> Flood Control, Irrigation, Navigation, Drinking Water Supply and Water Power Development.<\/b><\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It also undertakes the <\/span><b>investigations, construction and execution of any such schemes<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> as required.<\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Central Water Commission CWC is headed by<\/span><b> a Chairman, with the status of Ex-Officio Secretary to the Government of India.<\/b><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<table style=\"width: 100.128%;\">\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 138.02%; text-align: center; border-style: solid; border-color: #000000;\" colspan=\"2\"><span style=\"font-size: 18pt;\"><b>Must Read<\/b><\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 50.5357%; text-align: center; border-style: solid; border-color: #000000;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/editorial-analysis\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">UPSC Daily Editorials<\/span><\/a><\/td>\n<td style=\"width: 87.4846%; text-align: center; border-style: solid; border-color: #000000;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/daily-current-affairs\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">UPSC Daily Current Affairs<\/span><\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 50.5357%; text-align: center; border-style: solid; border-color: #000000;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/store.pw.live\/govt-entrance-exams\/upsc-books\/upsc-textbooks?utm_source=SEO&#038;utm_medium=PW+Live&#038;utm_campaign=UPSC+Textbooks\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Check Out UPSC NCERT Textbooks From PW Store<\/span><\/a><\/td>\n<td style=\"width: 87.4846%; text-align: center; border-style: solid; border-color: #000000;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/store.pw.live\/govt-entrance-exams\/upsc-books\/upsc-modules?utm_source=SEO&#038;utm_medium=PW+Live&#038;utm_campaign=UPSC+Modules\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Check Out UPSC Modules From PW Store<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 50.5357%; text-align: center; border-style: solid; border-color: #000000;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/store.pw.live\/govt-entrance-exams\/upsc-books\/upsc-previous-year-papers?utm_source=SEO&#038;utm_medium=PW+Live&#038;utm_campaign=UPSC+Previous+Year+Papers\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Check Out Previous Years Papers From PW Store<\/span><\/a><\/td>\n<td style=\"width: 87.4846%; text-align: center; border-style: solid; border-color: #000000;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/upsc-test-series-courses\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">UPSC Test Series 2024<\/span><\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 50.5357%; text-align: center; border-style: solid; border-color: #000000;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/quiz\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Daily Current Affairs Quiz<\/span><\/a><\/td>\n<td style=\"width: 87.4846%; text-align: center; border-style: solid; border-color: #000000;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/mains-answer-writing\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Daily Main Answer Writing<\/span><\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 138.02%; text-align: center; border-style: solid; border-color: #000000;\" colspan=\"2\"><a href=\"https:\/\/store.pw.live\/govt-entrance-exams\/upsc-books?utm_source=SEO&#038;utm_medium=PW+Live&#038;utm_campaign=UPSC+CSE+Books\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Check Out UPSC CSE Books From PW Store<\/span><\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>After the Teesta-III Hydroelectric dam collapsed in October 2023, the Central Water Commission (CWC) decided to review the flood management plans of all dams that could be affected by GLOFs (Glacial Lake Outburst Floods).<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":11,"featured_media":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rank_math_lock_modified_date":false,"footnotes":""},"tags":[],"paper-wise":[2088],"subject":[2122],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/current-affairs\/125715"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/current-affairs"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/current-affairs"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/11"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=125715"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/current-affairs\/125715\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":125867,"href":"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/current-affairs\/125715\/revisions\/125867"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=125715"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=125715"},{"taxonomy":"paper-wise","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/paper-wise?post=125715"},{"taxonomy":"subject","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/subject?post=125715"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}