Bhutan Preparing for the Unseen Threat of Glacial Outbursts

Bhutan the last Shangri-La or the land of thunder dragon, located in the Himalayan region is well known for its natural conservation as 70 of its land is covered with forest. Bhutan is a land lock country sandwich between India and china. The people of Bhutan are mostly depended on agriculture for their livelihood and the glacier outburst can destroy their income if it occurs.

Glacial outburst is a melting of glacial and the melted glacial ads on to the lakes, which result in over flow of lakes. It occurs mainly because of the increase of earth’s temperature. The release of harmful gases such as carbon-mono oxide in the air is one of the reasons, which contributes to the increase in earth’s temperature. The harmful gas carbon-mono oxide creates some kind of hole in the ozone layer which protects earth form extra amount of heat form sun. When the carbon-mono oxide is released in a mass quantity, it affects the ozone layer and the earth experience more heat than before. And because of this reason the glacier melts in highest rate than it normally should and keeps on adding in the lake which after reaching certain point over flows and result in glacial lake outbursts.

Glacial outburst is rare to occur but when it does, it results in mass property destruction, even causing casualty.

As already mentioned above glacial outburst is the result of increase in earth temperature, which causes glaciers to melt in the increasing rate. In the northern part of Bhutan on 6 October 1994, there was a glacial outburst of two glacial lakes in the Lunana, which resulted in the death of 21 people, loss of properties and damaged Dzong (UNDP Asia and the Pacific, “Glacial Lake Floods Prevented in Bhutan”).

There are more than 2600 glacial lakes In Bhutan out of which the lake Thorthormi was identified by scientist in 2001 as one of the most threatened. Though later the situation was relieved by carving a water channel to relieve water pressure, the risk still exists. It is only 35-meter moraine wall which separates lake Thorthormi form lake Rapstreng which is 100 meter deep (UNDP Asia and the Pacific, “Glacial Lake Floods Prevented in Bhutan”).

It is identified that the lake Thorthormi, which is mainly covered by rock, mud and ice is now slowly filling up with water. If the process keeps on going there will be time when lake Thorthormi will over tope the lake Rapstreng, which could result in 53 million cubic meter burst; three times the one which occurred in 1994 (18 million cubic meter) (UNDP Asia and the Pacific, “Glacial Lake Floods Prevented in Bhutan”).

People in Bhutan are now trying to stop the outburst by taking measures like clearing channels, releasing the water pressure and making drains. To stop the outburst every year around 350 men and women go to Lunana by walking 9 days as there is no road. Because of the possible fear of avalanche, heavy machines cannot be used so these dedicated workers use their strength and work for prevention of unseen disaster. They make drainage and clear channels to release pressure.

They are also preparing for the unpredictable disaster by making awareness throughout Bhutan and making them alert for the disaster. They conduct international conferences on global lake outburst flood reduction in every district of Bhutan to make awareness on what is glacial outbursts are and what are factors triggering glacial outbursts. They have even undertaken mock drills. They are making people alert how to evacuate when they are alarmed by sound of sirens if the outburst occurred. They made an identification of evacuation area for each community.