Himalayan Glacial lakes grow by 9.24% in 14 years: CWC report
10:06 PM Oct 23, 2025 IST
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NE NOW NEWS
Updated At : 07:02 PM Oct 23, 2025 IST
Ladakh saw 133 lakes expand, Jammu and Kashmir had 50, Himachal Pradesh saw 13, Uttarakhand had 7, Sikkim experienced 44, and Arunachal Pradesh reported the most with 181 expanded lakes. (Representative Image)
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Guwahati: Glacial lakes and other water bodies in the Himalayan region have grown by 9.24% over the past 14 years, according to a new report by the Central Water Commission (CWC), which highlights the visible impacts of climate change on the region.
The total area of these water bodies increased from 5.30 lakh hectares in 2011 to 5.79 lakh hectares in 2025, the CWC’s Monthly Monitoring Report revealed.
This report, which tracks changes in water bodies across the Himalayas, indicates that shrinking glaciers and expanding glacial lakes are some of the most prominent signs of global warming in the area.
From 2011 to 2025, 1,435 glacial lakes and water bodies recorded an increase in size, while 1,008 experienced a decrease.
The CWC uses high-resolution Sentinel satellite data through Google Earth Engine to monitor 2,843 glacial lakes and water bodies.
Of these, 428 glacial lakes in India have expanded, prompting authorities to call for enhanced monitoring to prepare for potential disasters.
The report also highlighted the regions within India where these lakes have grown.
Ladakh saw 133 lakes expand, Jammu and Kashmir had 50, Himachal Pradesh saw 13, Uttarakhand had 7, Sikkim experienced 44, and Arunachal Pradesh reported the most with 181 expanded lakes.
Within India, the total water spread area of these glacial lakes increased from 1,995 hectares in 2011 to 2,445 hectares in 2025, marking a significant rise of 22.56%.
This growth raises concerns, as it increases the risk of Glacial Lake Outburst Floods (GLOFs), sudden floods caused by the rupture of unstable moraine dams, which can cause devastating downstream damage.
The CWC warned that predicting GLOFs is currently not feasible with existing knowledge, emphasizing the need for continuous monitoring of these expanding lakes.
According to the 2023 Glacial Lake Atlas of Indian River Basins, over 28,000 glacial lakes larger than 0.25 hectares have been mapped across the Himalayan river basins, with 7,570 of them located within India.