New Delhi, Sept. 3 -- Union Home Secretary Govind Mohan on Thursday chaired a meeting to review preparedness of Himalayan states and Jammu and Kashmir against Glacial Lake Outburst Floods (GLOFs) and snow avalanches, with a focus on strengthening early warning and response mechanisms.
Chief Secretaries and State Disaster Management Authorities of Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh, along with officials from Jammu and Kashmir, participated in the meeting. Senior officials from the Ministry of Home Affairs, National Disaster Management Authority, Central Water Commission, India Meteorological Department and Defence Geoinformatics Research Establishment also attended.
The meeting discussed the growing threat posed by GLOFs in the Himalayan region and the need for continuous monitoring of potentially dangerous glacial lakes and avalanche-prone areas. Officials also deliberated on identifying high-risk locations and flow paths, timely dissemination of alerts, evacuation preparedness and strengthening response capabilities.
The states and the Union Territory outlined measures undertaken to monitor vulnerable glacial lakes, improve early warning systems and ensure last-mile dissemination of alerts. Community preparedness, flow-path planning and mobilisation of response resources in vulnerable areas were also discussed.
Mohan stressed that mitigation measures must translate into action at the district and local levels, particularly in areas vulnerable to GLOFs and avalanches. He called for proactive monitoring during high-risk periods and close coordination among state agencies, district administrations and scientific and technical institutions.
He said preparedness should extend beyond emergency response to include risk-informed planning, preventive mitigation and community participation.
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.