Guwahati: Rapid melting of glaciers in the Eastern Himalayas, particularly in Arunachal Pradesh, has raised alarms among scientists, with measurements showing a record 1.5-metre ice loss at the Khangri glacier in Tawang’s Gorichen mountain region.
The Centre for Earth Sciences and Himalayan Studies (CES & HS) has been closely monitoring the glacier using biomimetic and computational intelligence technologies.
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Satellite data from Sentinel-2 spanning 2016 to 2025 reveal a growing number of pro-glacial lakes and retreat of the glacier under the Mago Chu basin.
Experts warn that the accelerated melting poses a significant risk of flash floods. A stark example came on October 3, 2023, when a permafrost landslide into South Lhonak Lake triggered a glacial lake outburst flood (GLOF) along the Teesta River to Bangladesh, spanning 385 km. The disaster claimed 55 lives, left 74 missing in Sikkim, and caused extensive infrastructural damage.
Rani Lake, another glacial lake near the Gorichen mountain region, is now considered at risk of a similar Sikkim-type GLOF due to the ongoing glacier meltdown. Scientists attribute this trend to rising global temperatures, which are accelerating glacier retreat and expanding proglacial lakes.
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According to the latest monitoring report by the Central Water Commission (CWC), over 400 glacial lakes across India are showing concerning expansion trends.
The report has flagged 432 lakes for intensive monitoring across Ladakh, Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Sikkim, and Arunachal Pradesh. Arunachal Pradesh has the highest number of expanding lakes at 197, followed by Ladakh (120), Jammu and Kashmir (57), Sikkim (47), Himachal Pradesh (6), and Uttarakhand (5).