📷 Image: Wikimedia Commons / Kashmir photographer
Science
88 Glacial Lakes in India Threaten 6 States with Devastation, Experts Warn
✍️ Bhaskar English
🗓 27 Aug 2026, 02:36 PM
👁 6
Scientists have identified 88 glacial lakes across India that are at risk of breaching, potentially causing floods and damage similar to the 2015 Nepal disaster. Six states are listed as most vulnerable.
Scientists from the National Centre for Integrated Water Resources Development (NCWRD) have mapped 88 glacial lakes in the Indian Himalayas that are showing signs of rapid expansion and instability.
If any of these lakes were to breach, the resulting outflow could trigger flash floods, landslides and infrastructure damage, mirroring the catastrophic events that struck Nepal in 2015.
The most at‑risk regions include Jammu & Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Sikkim, Arunachal Pradesh and the Ladakh Union Territory.
Local authorities have urged communities in flood‑prone valleys to prepare evacuation plans and have called for accelerated monitoring of the lakes’ water levels.
If any of these lakes were to breach, the resulting outflow could trigger flash floods, landslides and infrastructure damage, mirroring the catastrophic events that struck Nepal in 2015.
The most at‑risk regions include Jammu & Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Sikkim, Arunachal Pradesh and the Ladakh Union Territory.
Local authorities have urged communities in flood‑prone valleys to prepare evacuation plans and have called for accelerated monitoring of the lakes’ water levels.