Environment
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Lahaul-Spiti flags 32 spots for Ghepan Lake flood risk
The Economic Times··5 Sept
Lahaul-Spiti officials identified 32 residential areas between Sissu and the Sansari border as vulnerable to a glacial lake outburst from Ghepan Lake. The lake grew from 36.5 hectares to 101.3 hectares in 13 years. ISRO alerted the district in November 2023. A C-DAC warning system is due this month. A five-member GSI team will study the lake for 14 days.
Prism
What It Means For You
- Residents in the 32 marked residential areas are being trained on disaster preparedness.
- Rapid response teams have been formed in Sissu and Shashin villages.
- Highest flood level markings are being set as permanent reference points.
What's Happening
- Deputy commissioner Kiran Bhadana said ISRO warned about the lake's expansion in November 2023.
- The planned warning system will monitor water level and other parameters at the lake.
- Officials also list 128 locations as potential flood-prone zones in the wider assessment.
How Large the Lake Is
- Ghepan Lake sits at about 4,070 metres altitude and roughly 11 km from Sissu.
- Its potential downstream flood path runs about 90 km through Udaipur to the district boundary.
- The lake is estimated to hold more than 35 million cubic metres of water.
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