Mapping the Moods of Lakes

Nestled amidst the Himalayas, Sikkim has been synonymous with the natural grandeur of its topography and the idyllic, serene beauty of its many mountain lakes.

- Arkamoy Datta Majumdar

A year and a half ago, the border state faced a calamity that underscored its susceptibility to climate change-induced natural disasters. On October 4, 2023, a cloudburst led the South Lhonak lake, perched at 17,000 feet in the Lhonak Valley, to breach its banks, causing a catastrophic glacial flood that laid entire landscapes to waste and displaced thousands.

The total financial toll is estimated to be a staggering Rs 18,000 crore. The state's most significant investment, the 1,200 MW Sikkim Urja-Teesta Stage III Project, suffered a devastating blow. The ecological impact was equally ruinous: 1,819 hectares of forest cover was lost. The Teesta river, choked with debris, saw its bed level rise by 8-12 metres downstream, triggering frequent floods.

But amid the wreckage, Sikkim has emerged as a beacon of resilience. Spurred by the cataclysmic event, it has launched a mission to develop a homegrown model for mitigating Glacial Lake Outburst Flood (GLOF) risks. It involves undertaking expeditions to remote altitudes to identify high-risk glacial lakes and mapping potential hazards, then designing structural measures to protect against future disasters. With extreme events recurring across the Himalayas, this approach to climate resilience is of universal relevance.