"Himalayan GLOF Exposes Transboundary Governance Gaps Across India, Nepal, China"
GLOF (Glacial Lake Outburst Flood)
sudden catastrophic release of water when a glacial lake's ice or moraine dam fails.
Sendai Framework 2015–2030
global disaster risk reduction framework prioritising prevention and resilience over reactive relief.
The Hindu Kush Himalayan arc is one of the most glacially active and seismically unstable regions on earth. Rivers like the Trishuli, Bhotekoshi, Koshi, and Teesta originate in the Tibetan Plateau and descend steeply through Nepal and India before entering the Indo-Gangetic Plain. This steep gradient, combined with intense monsoon rainfall, fragile geology, and accelerating glacial melt, creates conditions for catastrophic flash floods. A Glacial Lake Outburst Flood (GLOF) occurs when a natural dam, made of ice, moraine, or debris, holding back a high-altitude glacial lake fails suddenly. The failure can be triggered by a glacier collapse, an ice avalanche, intense rainfall, or seismic activity. When the dam breaches, a massive volume of water and sediment is released almost instantaneously, generating a flood wave that travels downstream at destructive speed.
India's disaster governance rests on the Disaster Management Act, 2005, which established a three-tier structure: the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), State Disaster Management Authorities (SDMAs), and District Disaster Management Authorities (DDMAs). India is also a signatory to the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015–2030, which prioritises risk reduction over reactive relief. Despite this framework, real-time hydrological data sharing among India, Nepal, and China remains underdeveloped. Nepal shares an open border with India across Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, West Bengal, and Sikkim, making bilateral disaster coordination a standing operational requirement. The International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD), based in Kathmandu, has published evidence-based reports warning of tipping points in the region's deteriorating glaciology.
A GLOF event in the upper Himalayan watershed can translate into a dangerous flood surge at Indian barrages within hours. The Rasuwa-Trishuli corridor is particularly vulnerable. It hosts major hydropower construction, a key border crossing, and the primary land route for the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra. The corridor sits directly below glaciers on the Chinese side, meaning the origin of a hazard can be in one sovereign territory while the devastation unfolds in another. Scientists confirmed that the recent Bhotekoshi-Trishuli flood was caused by an avalanche and glacial collapse on the Chinese side near Langtang Lirung. This cross-border origin illustrates why treating the Himalayan borderland as a simple geometric line is inadequate for disaster governance.
The energy dimension of Himalayan disasters is often underappreciated. The Trishuli river alone hosts over 15 hydro projects of varying capacities. India's Central Water and Power Commission built the first hydel project on the Trishuli in 1972. …
'Climate change' is a global problem. How will India be affected by climate change? How will Himalayan and coastal states of India be affected by climate change?
Consider the following statements:
I.Carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions in India are less than 0.5 t CO2/capita.
II.In terms of CO2 emissions from fuel combustion, India ranks second in Asia-Pacific region.
III.Electricity and heat producers are the largest sources of CO2 emissions in India.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
Examine the status of forest resources of India and its resultant impact on climate change.
Consider the following statements regarding Glacial Lake Outburst Floods (GLOFs) in the Himalayan region:
1.A GLOF can be triggered by a glacier collapse, an ice avalanche, intense rainfall, or seismic activity.
2.The Trishuli-Rasuwa corridor in Nepal is particularly vulnerable because it lies downstream of glaciers on the Chinese side of the border.
3.GLOFs affect only the country in which the glacial lake is located and do not have transboundary impacts.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
Consider the following statements regarding the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015–2030:
1.It prioritises risk reduction and resilience building over reactive post-disaster relief.
2.It was adopted at the Third UN World Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction held in Sendai, Japan.
3.India is not a signatory to the Sendai Framework.
4.One of its targets is to substantially reduce disaster mortality and economic losses by 2030.
How many of the statements given above are correct?
Match the following institutions/frameworks with their primary mandate or characteristic:
List I (Institution/Framework) — List II (Mandate/Characteristic)
A.ICIMOD — 1. Three-tier disaster governance structure in India
B.Disaster Management Act, 2005 — 2. Regional body monitoring Hindu Kush Himalayan glaciology, based in Kathmandu
C.SAARC Convention on Cooperation on Environment — 3. Prioritises disaster risk reduction over reactive relief; 2015–2030 timeframe
D.Sendai Framework — 4. Regional environmental cooperation framework that entered into force in 2013
Select the correct answer using the codes given below:
Consider the following statements regarding the 2023 South Lhonak Glacial Lake Outburst Flood in North Sikkim:
1.The Teesta river rose by 15–20 metres within hours of the glacial dam failure.
2.The flood destroyed the Chungthang hydropower project with an installed capacity of 1,200 MW.
3.The total damage was estimated at over Rs 25,000 crore, which was approximately 60% of Sikkim's 2022–23 GDP.
4.An effective early warning system was in place and functioned correctly during the event.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
With reference to India's National Action Plan on Climate Change (NAPCC), consider the following statements:
1.The NAPCC includes a National Mission for Sustaining the Himalayan Ecosystem as one of its eight sectoral missions.
2.The NAPCC was formulated under the framework of the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction.
3.The SAARC Convention on Cooperation on Environment, which entered into force in 2013, provides a regional complement to national climate action plans in South Asia.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
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