MANDI: A comprehensive satellite and field assessment conducted by researchers at IIT Mandi revealed that glacial lakes across Himachal Pradesh have expanded by up to 60 percent over the past ten years. The study, which evaluated nearly 2,000 high-altitude water bodies, classified between nine and twelve lakes as critically unstable, citing accelerated ice melt and rising regional temperatures as primary drivers of glacial outburst hazards.
Dericks P. Shukla, founding chairperson and Associate Professor at the School of Civil and Environmental Engineering at IIT Mandi, stated that environmental pressures, including surging vehicular emissions and dust deposition, are significantly accelerating surface degradation. He affirmed that dark particulate matter settling on glacial ice increases solar energy absorption, hastening the thawing process. Researchers maintained that immediate monitoring and early-warning installations remain vital to safeguard downstream mountain communities from catastrophic flash flooding.
