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Pooja Srivastava | Anytime News Network
Union Home Secretary Shri Govind Mohan chaired a crucial high-level meeting in New Delhi today to review the preparedness of Himalayan States and Union Territories to tackle the risks posed by Glacial Lake Outburst Floods (GLOF) and avalanches.
Proactive Approach Over Reactive Measures The meeting, attended by Chief Secretaries and State Disaster Management Authority representatives from Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Sikkim, Arunachal Pradesh, and Jammu-Kashmir, along with senior officials from MHA, NDMA, CWC, IMD, and DGRE, focused on emerging risks in the Himalayan region.
Emphasizing a paradigm shift from reactive to proactive disaster management, Shri Govind Mohan stressed that preparedness should not be limited to response-focused measures. Instead, it must evolve towards “Risk-informed Planning,” preventive mitigation measures, and robust community-level readiness.
Key Areas of Focus The discussions centered on strengthening early warning systems, continuous surveillance of sensitive glacial lakes and snow-covered areas, identification of high-risk zones, determination of potential water-flow paths, and timely dissemination of warnings to ensure swift evacuation.
Inter-Agency Coordination The Union Home Secretary advised the States/UTs to maintain close coordination between State agencies, district administration, and scientific/technical institutions to ensure immediate and effective action on warnings. He also called for accelerating the implementation of the GLOF mitigation project approved by the Central Government in 2024.
The meeting concluded with directives to ensure continuous inter-agency coordination and regular exchange of risk-related information to minimize the loss of life and property in the sensitive Himalayan regions.
