The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has asked Himalayan states and Union Territories to strengthen early warning and monitoring systems against Glacial Lake Outburst Floods (GLOFs) and snow avalanches, with greater emphasis on preparedness at the district and community levels.
Union Home Secretary Govind Mohan on Thursday reviewed preparedness against the two hazards at a meeting attended by chief secretaries and State Disaster Management Authorities of Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Sikkim, Arunachal Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir. Senior officials from the MHA, National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), Central Water Commission (CWC), India Meteorological Department (IMD) and Defence Geoinformatics Research Establishment (DGRE) also participated.
Early warning focus
The meeting reviewed the evolving GLOF risk across the Himalayan region, including monitoring of vulnerable glacial lakes and snow-covered areas, identification of high-risk locations and potential flow paths and timely dissemination of warnings.
Evacuation preparedness and measures to strengthen response mechanisms were also assessed. States and UTs presented their mitigation strategies, including steps to improve last-mile delivery of alerts, community preparedness and deployment of response resources in vulnerable areas.
Mohan stressed the need for continuous and proactive monitoring of vulnerable glacial lakes and avalanche-prone areas, particularly during periods when the threat is elevated.
States and UTs were asked to maintain close coordination among state agencies, district administrations and scientific and technical institutions to ensure warnings result in prompt action.
Shift to prevention
The Home Secretary called for moving beyond a response-oriented approach towards risk-informed planning, preventive mitigation and stronger preparedness at the community level.
States and UTs were advised to regularly review disaster preparedness plans, identify shortcomings in early warning and evacuation arrangements and take corrective steps before extreme events occur.
The MHA also asked states to expedite work under the GLOF mitigation project sanctioned by the Centre in 2024.
Officials discussed vulnerabilities specific to individual states and UTs, with emphasis on ensuring mitigation plans are converted into concrete measures at the district and local levels.
The meeting concluded with directions to continue inter-agency coordination, regularly share risk information and strengthen warning and response systems to minimise loss of life and property in vulnerable Himalayan regions.