Government To Reassess New Dams For Glacial Lake Outburst Floods After Teesta Dam Collapse In 2023

The government has decided to reassess the design flood of all existing and under-construction dams that are vulnerable to Glacial Lake Outburst Floods (GLOFs).

Additionally, it has ruled that all new dams planned in areas with Glacial Lakes in their catchments must conduct GLOF studies according to a report from The New Indian Express.

This decision follows the catastrophic collapse of the Teesta-III Hydroelectric dam in October 2023, which has resulted in the dam being completely washed away, along with an entire army camp downstream.

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Raj Bhushan Choudhary, the Union Minister of State for Jal Shakti has stated that this monitoring will enable the detection of changes in the water spread areas of Glacial Lakes and Water Bodies, and help identify those that have expanded significantly during the monitoring period, from a disaster perspective.

Furthermore, a Committee on Disaster Risk Reduction (CoDRR) under the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), which includes representatives from six Himalayan states and other stakeholders, has identified a set of high-risk glacial lakes.

The committee is working to assess these lakes and develop comprehensive mitigation strategies, including the establishment of an early warning system.

Additionally, a High-Level Committee chaired by the Union Home Minister has approved a GLOF risk mitigation project, allocating Rs 150 crores for the states of Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Sikkim, and Arunachal Pradesh. This funding will support state governments in implementing various mitigation measures related to GLOFs.

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