The Indian Space Research Organisation’s (ISRO) long-term satellite imagery covering the catchments of Indian Himalayan river basins from 1984 to 2023 have shown significant changes in glacial lakes.
According to the ISRO, of the 2,431 lakes larger than 10 hectares identified during 2016-17, 676 glacial lakes have notably expanded since 1984.
“Specifically, 130 of these lakes are situated within India, with 65, seven, and 58 lakes located in the Indus, Ganga, and Brahmaputra River basins, respectively. Of these lakes 601 lakes (89%) have expanded more than twice, 10 lakes have grown between 1.5 to 2 times and 65 lakes 1.5 times,” the ISRO said.
