‘Catastrophic’ 2023 lake outburst in India driven by glacial melt and permafrost thaw
#ClimateChange played a key role in the “catastrophic” 2023 floods in the Himalayan state of Sikkim in #India, a new study says.
The breach of one of the “largest, fastest-growing and most hazardous” glacial lakes in Sikkim, the South #Lhonak lake, led to cascading floods that killed 55 people and washed away a 1,200 megawatt (MW) #hydropower dam.
The event was identified as a glacial lake outburst flood (#GLOF), which is a sudden release of water from a lake fed by glacial melt.
#Sikkim is a small Himalayan state in north-east India, bordering #China in the north, #Bhutan in the east, #Nepal in the west and the state of West #Bengal in the south.
Part of the eastern #Himalaya, Sikkim is host to more than 90 #glaciers and #Kanchenjunga, the world’s third-highest peak. Sikkim serves as the origin and upper river basin for the #Teesta river, one of the largest tributaries of the #Brahmaputra river system.
