Icy truth

Shimla, June 17: Glaciers are melting fast in Himachal Pradesh and forming scores of mountain lakes, threatening floods worse than the July 2005 Par Choo disaster.

Government officials say the melting glaciers have formed at least 100 lakes on the basins of the Chenab and Beas in the last four decades. The 2005 floods were caused by a lake on the Sutlej basin, Par Choo, that burst its banks in Tibet just across the border.

An environment audit report says that out of the state’s 332 glaciers, the big five — Small Sigri, Big Sigri, Trilokinath, Beas Kund and Mani Mahesh — are receding rapidly. A study was done on Mani Mahesh between 1968 and 2005 and on Big Sigri from 1966 to 1995.

“Big Sigri is receding by 29.78 metres per year, Mani Mahesh by 29.1 metres, Small Sigri by 6.81 metres, Trilokinath by 17.68 metres and Beas Kund by 18.8 metres,” state forest minister Jagat Prakash Nadda said.

Officials say the melting is a probable outcome of global warming. “The state’s snowline and annual rainfall have also shown declining trends and the temperature is rising fast,” said Harinder Heera, principal secretary, environment.

“The temperature of Shimla has risen by one degree. The average annual snowfall slumped from 272.4cm in 1976-1980 to 77.20cm in 2001-2004. The average rainfall was 124cm in 1981-1985; it fell to 113.7cm during 2001-2004.”

A National Geographic report says about 4,000 glaciers are receding in Nepal and Bhutan, too, affecting 5,000 glacial lakes. Of these, 20 lakes in Nepal and 24 in Bhutan pose a serious threat.

The central government recently decided to set up a centre in Himachal to monitor and study the glaciers.

“The Centre has also promised Doppler radars, which will improve weather forecasts. We will be in a position to warn people about floods and storms,” chief minister Prem Kumar Dhumal said.