Shimla, Sept. 24 -- The Himachal Pradesh government has stepped up its vigil over rising water levels in Ghepan glacial lake amid concerns about a possible glacial lake outburst flood (GLOF).

Located at an altitude of 4,070m, about 14km above Sissu, the lake has a potential downstream flood path stretching nearly 90 km through Udaipur to the district boundary. It has expanded from 36.5 hectares to 101.3 hectares in just 13 years.

According to assessments conducted at various levels, in the event of an outburst, the water can reach the populated areas within just five minutes.

The government is working towards installing an early warning system, marking the 'highest flood level' (HFL), the Lahaul Spiti administration has identified 32 r...