Reuters
[Source: Reuters]
Scientists and government authorities were working on an early warning system for glacial floods at a Himalayan lake in northeast India when it broke its banks this week with deadly consequences.
Mountainous Sikkim state plunged into chaos on Wednesday as floods spurred by heavy rain and an avalanche killed at least 18 people. It was one of the worst disasters in the region in 50 years, and more than 100 people remained missing on Thursday.
The first part of the system, a camera to monitor Lhonak Lake’s level and weather instruments, were installed last month, officials involved in the project told Reuters.
If fully operational, the warning system could have given people more time to evacuate, scientists said. One scientist said glacial early warning systems can typically give residents a few minutes to an hour of notice.
Details of the Lhonak Lake warning system have not previously been reported.
“It’s quite absurd, really,” said geoscientist Simon Allen of the University of Zurich who is involved with the project. “The fact it happened just two weeks after our team was there was completely bad luck”.
He said they planned to add a tripwire sensor that would trigger if the lake was about to burst. That would typically be connected to an alert system or siren that would warn residents to immediately evacuate to higher ground.
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