Shimla, Aug. 30 -- Having faced disaster for the last three years, Himachal Pradesh calls for setting up a dedicated India-China hotline and an early warning mechanism for the real-time exchange of information on glacial lake outburst floods (GLOFs) in wake of recent Nepal devastation. Revenue, horticulture and tribal development minister and Kinnaur MLA Jagat Singh Negi has called for the establishment of a dedicated India-China hotline and an early warning mechanism for sudden river blockages and other disasters originating in Tibet. Negi's Kinnaur constituency shares an international border with Tibet, stressing on making cross-border coordination and the immediate sharing of disaster-related information between countries essential in wake of the recent disaster in Nepal. "Especially with China, there should be a hotline on this issue and information of this nature should be exchanged without losing time," Negi said. He pointed out that several major Himalayan rivers, including the Sutlej and Brahmaputra, as well as a number of rivers flowing through India's northeastern states, originate in or have their source areas in Tibet. Any sudden change in the upstream region can therefore pose a direct risk to populations and infrastructure downstream. He said there was a need for continuous, 24-hour satellite surveillance of glaciers, glacial lakes, rivers and riverbeds so that changes in water levels, blockages and other potentially dangerous developments could be detected at the earliest possible stage. Special secretary, Disaster Management Authority, Himachal Pradesh, Pushpinder Rana said that Himachal Pradesh has identified 67 vulnerable glacial lakes, including several located in remote and high-altitude areas, and is working on establishing early warning systems for four of the most vulnerable lakes in Kinnaur and Lahaul-Spiti. Rana said the state had identified 67 lakes of concern and was analysing them through satellite-based observations and other available data. "The number is certainly a matter of concern. At the state centre for climate change, we have identified 67 such lakes which are above 10 hectares in area. We are analysing them through satellite and other data to see whether any such situation is developing in them," he said. Rana said the state government had already submitted a proposal to the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) for establishing an early warning system for vulnerable glacial lakes. "The early warning system is a technical challenge. The problem is that these locations are in very remote areas where there is no network connectivity. Where will the sensors be installed, how will they be installed and how will the data be transferred? These are the challenges," he said. Rana said the state was working with the Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (C-DAC) to find technological solutions for these problems. He said once the NDMA gives final approval to the proposal, the state would begin installing an early warning system at Dipang Ghat. The proposed system would be aimed at detecting potentially dangerous changes in the glacial lake and transmitting information to authorities and downstream areas so that timely action could be taken. He said authorities would need to develop innovative technological solutions to address the threat posed by high-altitude glacial lakes, particularly because many of them are located in extremely remote and difficult terrain. Rana said the state had decided to undertake work on four glacial lakes under the National Landslide Mitigation Programme. These include vulnerable lakes in Kinnaur and Lahaul-Spiti - including Parchu Lake, as well as vulnerable lakes in areas of Sangla and Kinnaur, besides locations in the Lahaul-Spiti region, with work being undertaken to develop monitoring and early-warning capabilities. Retired glaciologist and scientist Dr SS Randhawa called for stricter enforcement of building by-laws, restrictions on development in vulnerable areas and scientific mapping of flood-prone zones. Randhawa, former principal scientific officer with the Himachal Pradesh Council for science, technology and environment under the department of science and technology, said Himachal Pradesh had witnessed an increase in the number of glacial lakes over time across different river basins, making systematic monitoring essential. Randhawa pointed out that there are around 470 lakes in the Sutlej basin within Himachal, 487 in the Spiti/lower Sutlej region and 1,335 in the upper Sutlej region on the Tibetan side. "All these lakes need to be mapped and monitored every year. We need to establish baseline data and identify changes in their water-spread area and other characteristics," he said....