Just saw this satellite study from Arunachal Pradesh and frankly,it's making me feel bit uneasy . Four out of five glacial lakes in Tawang district have expanded in last decade. That’s not a small thing ah.
This report comes from a Noida firm,Suhora Technologies . They checked five lakes in the Mago Chu basin which are already marked as ‘high-risk’ or ‘very high-risk’ by the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA). They used all kinds of satellite images from ICEYE,PlanetScope and LISS-IV to compare lake sizes from 2016 to June 2026 .
And finding was pretty clear. Suhora Technologies said that “four out of five lakes have expanded, reflecting a general trend of glacial retreat and meltwater storage.” So basically,glaciers are melting and lakes are getting bigger.
And honestly,this is where things get uncomfortable. We all know what bigger glacial lakes can mean,especially in Himalayas.
The firm did say that this expansion doesn't mean a flood is about to happen tomorrow . But it also highlighted why we need to keep watching these lakes very,very carefully.
Few things standing out from this study:
- Sanhapo Lake's growth is significant,from 78.07 hectares in 2019 to 88.81 hectares by mid-June 2026.
- Two lakes already marked as very high risk expanded by about one hectare each over decade.
- Experts are stressing that continuous monitoring is now absolutely necessary.
One expert,Amit Kumar from Suhora Technologies,made a good point. He said,“By comparing satellite imagery across multiple years,it is possible to track changes in glacial lake extent.” And tbh,it's good we have this tech because going to these remote mountains is not easy for anyone .
But at same time,another glaciologist Anil Kulkarni from Bangalore said we shouldn't panic just yet . He mentioned that lake expansion doesn't automatically mean a flood is coming. Other things like geology and risk of landslides also matter lot .
But you can't blame people for being worried,especially after what happened in Sikkim in October 2023 . That breach in South Lhonak Lake caused such a devastating flood. That memory is still very fresh for everyone .
It seems authorities are taking it seriously though. NDMA has started a National Glacial Lake Outburst Floods Risk Mitigation Programme. They have identified 189 high-risk lakes for closer watch and are installing automated monitoring systems. Apparently over 900 glacial lakes are being watched rn via satellite .
Still,it feels like we are just watching a problem grow bigger and bigger . We can monitor it,we can measure it,but stopping a glacier from melting… that’s whole different challenge…
