By Web Desk
Lahore
Pakistan's national space agency, the Space and Upper Atmosphere Research Commission (SUPARCO), has issued a high-priority environmental risk assessment revealing a dramatic surge in the expansion of unfrozen glacial lakes across the Karakoram, Hindu Kush, and Himalayan mountain ranges of Gilgit-Baltistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, significantly elevating the risk of catastrophic Glacial Lake Outburst Floods (GLOFs).
According to satellite imagery and high-resolution geospatial monitoring conducted by SUPARCO scientists, the number of completely unfrozen glacial lakes expanded rapidly from 40 in early summer to over 105, fueled by abnormal summer temperature spikes, accelerated snowpack melting, and shifting monsoon weather patterns.
Satellite monitoring identifies 131 vulnerable lakes
The space agency's remote sensing analysis classified 131 glacial lakes as Potentially Dangerous Glacial Lakes (PDGLs), noting that several major water bodies have breached their previously recorded historic surface dimensions. Rapid accumulation of meltwater behind unstable moraine dams composed of loose rock, gravel, and permafrost poses an immediate threat of breach, which could release millions of cubic meters of water into downstream valleys without warning.
Vulnerable downstream river basins identified in the advisory include the Hunza, Shigar, Gilgit, Chitral, and Swat valleys, where key highways, agricultural settlements, bridges, and hydropower facilities are situated directly along potential outburst channels.
NDMA and PMD activate early warning protocols
In response to the satellite findings, the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) and the Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) have coordinated with provincial disaster management authorities (GBDMA and PDMA KP) to place district administrations and local emergency rescue units on heightened alert.
Automated early warning water-level sensors, community siren stations, and satellite communication links installed under national climate resilience programs are being monitored continuously. Local communities in high-risk zones have been instructed to maintain vigilance regarding sudden river turbidity, unusual water level fluctuations, or rumbling sounds from upper glaciers.
Glaciologists emphasized that while satellite observations provide indispensable real-time spatial surveillance, continuous ground-level geotechnical assessments of moraine stability remain essential to enhance community resilience against climate-induced hazards.
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