Uttarakhand flood: Scientists highlight the need to improve monitoring of glaciers
Gathering baseline data will help in understanding the hydrology, geology and climate change response of Himalayan glaciers. The site of a destroyed hydroelectric power station in Raini village of Uttarakhand. | Anshree Fadnavis/ Reuters
As authorities race to rescue people trapped in Uttarakhand, following a devastating landslide-induced flash flood on February 7, scientists have called for deciphering the possibility of glacier-related hazards and enhance the capabilities of monitoring and early warning in the high mountain areas.
Scientists in a review published on February 2, before the floods, stressed on improved in situ monitoring network for weather, hydrology and glacier change as a crucial requirement for predicting the future of this resource and associated hazards and their impact on regional water, energy and food security.