The entire Himalayan region is vulnerable to cloudburst and 16 glacial lakes in Himachal Pradesh are potentially dangerous, Minister of Science and Technology and Earth Sciences S. Jaipal Reddy today said.
“Entire Himalayan region is vulnerable to rain induced hazards in the form of cloudburst. Apart from Himachal Pradesh, the threat of cloudburst exists in Uttarakhand, Kashmir, Leh and other places in Himalayan region,” the Minister told Lok Sabha said in a written reply.
A study by the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development reported 156 glacial lakes in Himachal Pradesh with 16 of them as potentially dangerous, he noted.
The Earth System Science Organisation of the Ministry of Earth Sciences has formulated the ‘Himalayan Meteorology Programme’ for augmenting observing systems by deploying doppler weather radars and rain radars.