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Daily Mains Question – GS 3 – 17th June 2025

  • Writer: TPP
    TPP
  • Jun 17
  • 4 min read
Daily Mains Question – GS 3 – 17th June 2025

Welcome to your daily Mains Model Answer — designed to merge climate policy insight with environmental vulnerability analysis, just as UPSC tests in GS Paper 3. Today’s question focuses on how climate change-induced glacier retreat in the Himalayas is intensifying the risk of Glacial Lake Outburst Floods (GLOFs) — a growing environmental and disaster management challenge.


With the rate of Himalayan glacier melt doubling in the 21st century and incidents like the Teesta River flood (2023) and Kedarnath tragedy (2013) highlighting the escalating threat, this topic holds strong relevance for GS Paper 3 (Environment, Disaster Management, and Climate Change). It also offers a lens to examine the interplay of science, policy, infrastructure planning, and local governance — key themes for essay writing, public policy analysis, and sustainable development discourse.

 

Click Here to read the Current Affairs Pointers (CAP) for January 2025- April 2025.

 

QUESTION

Critically analyse how climate change-induced glacier retreat in the Himalayas is exacerbating the risk of Glacial Lake Outburst Floods (GLOFs), and suggest mitigation strategies at the community and policy levels.

Answer:

“The Himalayas are sounding an alarm,” warned Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav at a climate summit in Kathmandu (May 2024), highlighting how global warming is accelerating glacier retreat and threatening downstream water security.

The Himalayas, often referred to as the “Third Pole,” are experiencing rapid environmental changes due to anthropogenic climate change. Scientific evidence confirms that Himalayan glaciers are melting at unprecedented rates, leading to the formation of unstable glacial lakes and increasing the risk of catastrophic Glacial Lake Outburst Floods (GLOFs). These events not only pose threats to human life and infrastructure but also signal a deeper ecological crisis in the fragile mountain ecosystems.


1. Glacier Retreat and Formation of Glacial Lakes

  • According to the 2019 study “Acceleration of ice loss across the Himalayas over the past 40 years” published in Science Advances, the rate of ice loss has doubled in the 21st century compared to the late 20th century.

  • Rising temperatures are causing glaciers to shrink and form moraine-dammed lakes. These lakes are unstable and susceptible to bursting due to triggers like heavy rainfall, landslides, or seismic activity.

  • As per the South Asia Water Initiative (SAWI) report Monitoring of Glaciers, Climate, and Runoff in the Hindu Kush-Himalaya Mountains, there are around 7,500 glacier lakes in Indian Himalayan states. Of these, 190 are classified as “very high risk” for potential GLOFs.


2. GLOFs: Disasters in Recent Years

  • South Lhonak Lake, Sikkim (October 2023): A GLOF led to catastrophic floods in the Teesta River basin, destroying the Teesta III hydroelectric dam and causing widespread devastation.

  • Kedarnath Disaster (2013): Triggered by a cloudburst and glacial lake breach, it claimed over 6,000 lives.

  • Chamoli, Uttarakhand (2021): An ice-rock avalanche caused flash floods, killing 200+ people and severely damaging hydroelectric infrastructure.


3. Factors Exacerbating GLOF Risk

  • Unregulated Infrastructure Development:

    • Construction of roads, tunnels, and hydropower projects often disregards the region’s fragile geology.

    • Char Dham Highway Project: Despite warnings from expert panels, construction continued in ecologically sensitive zones.

    • Joshimath: A classic case of land subsidence, predicted since 1976 by the Mishra Committee, but aggravated due to blasting and construction.

  • Riverbed Encroachments:

    • As rivers become narrower due to encroachment, floodwaters cause greater destruction when GLOFs occur.

    • Himachal Pradesh (2023): Floodwaters changed river courses, inundating human settlements and causing fatalities.

  • Tourism Pressure and Waste:

    • Himachal (2024–25): Received 1.8 crore domestic tourists and 83,000 foreign tourists—record highs.

    • Uttarakhand (2023): Hosted 5.96 crore tourists, up from 3.68 crore in 2018.

    • Plastic Waste Crisis:

      • Shimla generates 2,800 tonnes and Manali 1,100 tonnes/month, which doubles during peak season.

      • According to Zero Waste Himalaya, 84% of plastic waste is single-use packaging, with 70% non-recyclable.

      • Kasol, Parvati Valley: Forests turning into open dumping grounds.


4. The Socioeconomic Fallout

  • Hydropower Threats: Dams in glacial zones are vulnerable to earthquakes and GLOFs. A major dam failure during such an event could trigger downstream disasters.

  • Migration & Livelihood Loss: Traditional livelihoods are vanishing. Between 2001 and 2011, Almora and Pauri Garhwal saw a population decline of 17,868 due to outmigration.

  • Human-Wildlife Conflict and Water Scarcity: As ecosystems collapse, new conflicts and challenges arise.

 

Conclusion: Mitigation Strategies

A. Community-Level Strategies

  1. Local Participation:

    • Empower indigenous communities with early warning systems, disaster preparedness training, and inclusion in planning.

    • Tap into traditional knowledge systems for climate adaptation and risk reduction.

  2. Decentralised Tourism:

    • Promote low-impact tourism in lesser-known areas.

    • Encourage “carry your waste back” campaigns and community-run eco-tourism models.

  3. Grassroots Waste Management:

    • Replicate schemes like Himachal’s refundable deposit for non-biodegradable items to reduce plastic waste.

B. Policy-Level Strategies

  1. Environmentally Sensitive Infrastructure Planning:

    • Halt large-scale hydroelectric and road projects in geologically unstable zones.

    • Implement stricter Environmental Impact Assessments (EIA) and enforce carrying capacity limits.

  2. GLOF Risk Zonation and Monitoring:

    • Use satellite-based tools and remote sensing for real-time monitoring of high-risk glacial lakes.

    • Strengthen coordination between ISRO, IMD, NDMA, and state disaster agencies.

  3. Sustainable Development Model:

    • Shift from mega-projects to small-scale, localised development.

    • Adopt policies that integrate conservation with livelihood generation (e.g., eco-villages, permaculture, agro-tourism).

  4. International Cooperation:

    • Foster transboundary data sharing and early warning systems in the Hindu Kush-Himalaya region involving India, Nepal, Bhutan, and China.

 

The Himalayas are not just mountains; they are the water towers of Asia, lifelines for millions. The growing threat of GLOFs, driven by glacier retreat, is a warning that the developmental model pursued in these regions is ecologically unsustainable. Balancing infrastructure growth with environmental stewardship, leveraging community wisdom, and enforcing stringent policy frameworks are essential steps to protect this vital ecosystem—and the people who depend on it.

 

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