Jammu and Kashmir Chief Secretary Atal Dulloo on Monday emphasized the need to review and strengthen measures on prevention of glacial lake outburst floods (GLOFs).

“Consequentially meaningful studies should be carried out by expert glaciologists for initiating possible measures to evade such natural calamities in Jammu and Kashmir,” he said while elaborating on strategies for dealing with alarming situations on this account.

He was speaking in a meeting that was attended by Principal Secretary, Home; Secretary, R&B; Secretary, DMRR&R; Director, Remote Sensing; Geologists from Jammu and Kashmir University besides IUST and from C-DAC, Pune, GSI, NDMA, SDRF besides others.

The Chief Secretary directed the Department of Disaster Management to constitute a team of experts including the glaciologists and others to take up expeditions to such lakes. He stressed on making studies that are useful to chalk out future course of action.

Dulloo said that such expeditions should be pursued with a sense of seriousness by the professionals so that the recommendations being made would be based on ground reality. He asked the department to organise such expeditions without any delay and seek feedback from other experts in this regard.

The Chief Secretary also enquired about the project submitted to National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) for funding besides the tasks to be undertaken by C-DAC. He said that the data and analysis of C-DAC should be properly followed by the practical recommendations that are useful for evading any such disasters in J&K.

In his presentation, the Secretary, DMRR&R gave insights into the steps taken so far by the Department. He apprised the meeting that the Department is going to enter into an MoU with the C-DAC Pune for making different studies and installation of Early Warning Systems, Auto Weather Stations, data collection and other activities.

It was further said that the data collection and analysis is being followed by modelling and simulation of the same for which a detailed project worth Rs 30 crore has been submitted to NDMA. It was also informed that on completion this project would ensure a comprehensive mitigation plan against GLOF.