Amidst the increasing frequency of cryospheric hazards across high-altitude Himalayan and alpine regions—such as the 2023 Glacial Lake Outburst Flood (GLOF) in Sikkim, the recent June 2025 GLOF along the Nepal-Tibet border, and glacier-related ice and debris flows in the Swiss Alps—global scientific attention has been drawn to the urgent need for risk assessment and mitigation.
These events, involving glaciers, glacial lakes, snow, permafrost, and ice avalanches, highlight the growing vulnerability of mountainous regions to climate-induced changes. In this context, the cryospheric hazards of the Eastern Himalaya require thorough scientific investigation, particularly in light of the increasing number of incipient glacial lakes and rapidly changing glacier cover.
To address this critical need, a new research project titled “Mapping Hazard Zonation of the High-Altitude Lake Breaches for Sustainable Development in the Tawang Region of Arunachal Himalaya, India” has been sanctioned by the Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES), Government of India. The project is a joint collaboration between Nagaland University, Jawaharlal Nehru University (New Delhi), and Sikkim University. Dr Manasi Debnath from Nagaland University will lead the project as Principal Investigator, with Dr Milap Chand Sharma of Jawaharlal Nehru University and Dr Rajesh Kumar of Sikkim University serving as Co-Principal Investigators.
The project aims to assess and map the hazard potential of high-altitude lakes in the Tawang region, which are increasingly susceptible to breach events due to glacier retreat and permafrost degradation. By employing high-resolution satellite imagery along with field-based methods—such as bathymetric and permafrost surveys—the team will build a precise inventory of high-altitude lakes and identify potentially dangerous glacial lakes (PDGLs). These efforts will be complemented by geomorphological analysis, remote sensing, and hydrodynamic modeling to simulate possible breach scenarios.
The outcome of this study, which will run from 2025 to 2028, is expected to provide critical insights for disaster risk reduction and informed planning for sustainable development. Importantly, the project also seeks to enhance the capacity of local communities to cope with climate-related environmental risks, thereby contributing to long-term resilience in the Eastern Himalaya.
