Uttarakhand’s glacier burst in Chamoli district that took place on Sunday has brought several questions on the spotlight like the lack of monitoring of glaciers in the Indian Himalayan region due to various challenges. Scientists from Wadia Institute of Himalayan Geology (WIHG) Dehradun said that only 25-30 glaciers are monitored across India, while the country has about 10,000-15,000 glaciers.
“Of the total 10,000-15,000 glaciers that are situated in India, intense and regular monitoring is done for maximum 25 glaciers across the Indian Himalayan Region. A minuscule percentage of total glaciers are studied but there is constant effort to increase this number, said SK Rai, a senior scientist with glaciology and hydrology department with WIHG.
Uttarakhand itself has approximately 1,400 glaciers, but less than ten are being monitored.
Uttarakhand glaciers are surveyed by scientists from the Wadia Institute of Himalayan Geology including Gangotri, Chorabari, Dunagiri, Dokriyani and Pindari.
Mr Rai pointed out that there are several challenges in studying and monitoring glaciers. Scientists face issues like lack of resources and good quality equipment which include proper snow kits, which prices can go up to lakhs of rupees, automatic weather systems, good infrastructure like huts, good quality ropes; logistical issues like proper drivers and vehicles.
Permissions from the concerned departments such as forest or border areas for examining the glaciers are among a few other significant obstacles.
“Only after meeting these challenges fulfilling departmental requirements can we visit the areas and stay for 15-20 days to collect data. Another very important reason for the lack of studies on glaciers is that our country has very few institutes where glaciology is taught,” Mr Rai added.
He further said that ample institutes and colleges teach topics of science but hardly there are five institutes in the country where glaciology is taught. Because glaciers are the main source of fresh water for living beings, more research is needed in this field, noted Mr Rai.
Glacier regions are unreachable, another primary reason why not many studies are conducted, added Kalachand Sain, director of WIHG.
He said, “All mapping of glaciers has been done through satellite data, but glaciers are all in high-altitude and inaccessible regions, so monitoring those areas automatically becomes difficult.”
Even if we have large manpower monitoring glaciers will remain a difficult task, Sain said.
The place where the natural disaster was witnessed in Chamoli district, the director said has 25 glaciers but only a few are monitored.
“It is true that all glaciers are not covered and very few are being monitored. We are in touch with our scientists and departments concerned to increase the capacity, generate more knowledge about the glaciers, future consequences (if any) in down streams,” he added.
Geologist Navin Juyal, a retired scientist from the Physical Research Laboratory, Ahmedabad speaking on the importance of glaciers said that they are like umbilical cords for all climate processes, especially monsoon.
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Any climatic change on this planet, whether it occurred in the past or that is happening in the present, is directed by the movement of the glaciers, said Mr Juyal.
He further said, “The expansion and contraction of glaciers affect monsoon, hydrological changes in the river system and many other climate variabilities. Glaciers are like umbilical cords of the climate system, as everything is linked.”