Disaster Preparedness Review: Early Warning for Glacial Lakes and Heatwave Response
A high-level review meeting assessed the country's preparedness for the upcoming monsoon season and anticipated heatwave events.
The meeting directed authorities to develop an early warning system for 60 high-risk glacial and mountain lakes across Jammu & Kashmir, Ladakh, Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, and Sikkim — with support from the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA).
All states were directed to constitute and activate Flood Crisis Management Teams (FCMTs) ahead of the monsoon.
An integrated flood forecasting system at both central and state levels was called for, with NDMA asked to study state compliance with existing disaster management guidelines related to floods, forest fires, and heatwaves.
A "whole of government" and "whole of society" approach was emphasised, anchored around a "zero casualty" vision for disaster management.
Water storage projects and check dams were highlighted as measures to mitigate heatwave impacts on agriculture and groundwater levels.
Glacial Lake Outburst Floods (GLOFs)
A glacial lake outburst flood (GLOF) occurs when a dam containing a glacial lake fails suddenly — typically due to the collapse of an ice or moraine dam — releasing a catastrophic volume of water downstream. As Himalayan glaciers retreat under climate change, they form large meltwater lakes behind unstable moraine dams, increasing GLOF risk significantly.
The directive to install early warning systems for 60 high-risk glacial lakes directly targets GLOF preparedness — a critical gap given that the 2023 South Lhonak Lake outburst in Sikkim, which caused massive destruction downstream, demonstrated the lethal speed of GLOF events.
National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA)
NDMA was established under the Disaster Management Act, 2005 (DM Act), as the apex body for disaster management in India. The Prime Minister serves as its Chairperson ex officio, with up to nine members including a Vice-Chairperson.
The review directed NDMA to audit state compliance with its flood, heatwave, and forest fire guidelines — activating the DM Act's three-tier architecture (NDMA → SDMA → DDMA) as a monitoring mechanism ahead of the monsoon season.
Heat Action Plans and Urban Heat Island Effect
Heat Action Plans (HAPs) are pre-planned, coordinated responses to heatwave events, first introduced in Ahmedabad in 2013 following a deadly heat event. A heatwave in India is declared when the maximum temperature of a station reaches at least 40°C for plains and at least 30°C for hilly regions, with a departure of 4.5°C–6.4°C from normal constituting a heatwave (departure above 6.4°C = severe heatwave).
Key Details
- The India Meteorological Department (IMD) is the nodal agency for heatwave forecasting and early warnings.
- The National Disaster Management Plan (NDMP) includes heatwaves as a recognised disaster category.
- Urban Heat Island (UHI) effect amplifies heatwave intensity in cities due to concrete, asphalt, and reduced green cover.
- Agriculture losses from heatwaves affect Rabi crop yields; groundwater depletion worsens the impact on rural communities.
The emphasis on water storage projects and check dams to combat heatwave impacts reflects the interconnection between heat stress, agriculture, and groundwater — a dimension increasingly featured in Mains GS Paper 3 questions on disaster management and food security.
- 60 high-risk glacial lakes identified across six Himalayan states for early warning system installation.
- States covered: Jammu & Kashmir, Ladakh, Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Sikkim.
- Disaster Management Act, 2005 — the legislative foundation for India's three-tier disaster management architecture.
- NDMA Chairperson: Prime Minister of India (ex officio).
- NEC Chairperson: Union Home Secretary.
- India has documented 158 GLOF events in the Himalayan region, with Ladakh recording the most.
- Heatwave threshold (plains): maximum temperature ≥ 40°C with departure of ≥ 4.5°C from normal.
- Flood Crisis Management Teams (FCMTs) directed to be constituted in every state.