On June 29, 2021, the Glacial Lake Atlas of Ganga River Basin was virtually released by Pankaj Kumar, Secretary, Department of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation (DoWR, RD & GR), Ministry of Jal Shakti.
- This atlas mapped 4,707 glacial lakes in the Ganga River basin with a total lake water spread area of 20,685 ha will provide information on their type, hydrological, topographical, and associated glaciers.
About Atlas:
i.It is an initiative under National Hydrology Project (NHP) a Central Sector Scheme implemented by DOWR, RD & GR.
ii.Based on the process of lake formation, location, and type of damming material, the glacial lakes are identified in nine different types, and grouped into four categories covering a catchment area of 2,47,109 sq. km.
iii.Notably, it has mapped the glacial lakes with water spread area greater than 0.25 ha through Resourcesat-2 (RS-2) Linear Imaging Self Scanning Sensor-IV (LISS-IV) satellite data using visual interpretation techniques.
Uses of Atlas:
i.It can be used for carrying out climate change impact analysis, disaster mitigation planning and for mitigating the possible adverse impacts of Glacial Lake Outburst Floods (GLOF) by analyzing changes in water bodies in the Himalayan region.
ii.It will also aid in effective water resource development and management.
Key Points:
i.National Remote Sensing Centre (NRSC), Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO), Hyderabad are one of the Implementing Agencies under the NHP. They are doing hydrological studies using satellite data and geospatial techniques.
ii.The Atlas is available at https://bhuvan.nrsc.gov.in/nhp/, www.indiawris.gov.in, and www.nhp.mowr.gov.in .
NHP –Bhuvan portal of NRSC Launched
During the event, Dr. Kailasavadivoo Sivan, Secretary, Department of Space and Chairman ISRO launched the NHP– Bhuvan portal of NRSC which can be accessed at https://bhuvan.nrsc.gov.in/nhp/.
- This portal will act as information repository on the initiatives undertaken by NRSC under NHP with a facility to download the reports.
Recent Related News:
The Ministry of Jal Shakti is set to deploy sensor-based IoT (Internet of Things) devices to monitor the implementation of Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM) in more than six lakh villages. With this, it aims to monitor the rural drinking water supply systems in villages.
About Ministry of Jal Shakti:
Union Minister– Gajendra Singh Shekhawat (Constituency- Jodhpur, Rajasthan)
Minister of State (MoS)– Rattan Lal Kataria (Constituency- Ambala, Haryana)
