A few hours away from the capital Thimphu, a control room in Bhutan is operating day and night to monitor the risks from rapidly melting glaciers.
Bhutan currently has more than 600 glaciers located between mountain ranges in the North. The monitoring work takes place in the context of climate change causing glaciers to melt rapidly, forming ice lakes blocked by natural rock dams that are very fragile.
Bhutan has suffered serious consequences from this phenomenon. In 1994, a flood caused by the Glacier Offset (GLOF) on the Punatsangchhu River killed 21 people.
After the disaster, Bhutan strengthened its monitoring and early warning systems. In 2011, the GLOF Emergency Warning Center in Wangdue Phodrang was established with the task of managing a network of sensors to monitor water levels at glacial lakes and rivers in the downstream area.
Among the ice lakes nationwide, 17 lakes are assessed as potentially dangerous. The most worrying is the group of lakes located upstream of Punatsangchhu. Here 4 ice lakes have been formed, of which 2 lakes are only separated by 1 soil and rock dam. According to the worst-case scenario, if this dam collapses, about 53 million m3 of water could spill downstream. The nearest communities only have a few minutes to evacuate.
Alarm bells in areas near the lake are automatically activated when sensors detect changes in water levels that may indicate GLOF risk. Further downstream, center staff will manually activate the horn. After the recent disaster in Nepal caused by the ice river collapse, Ms. Dechen Peldon, an engineer at the Center, said that the control room operating team is raising alertness.
About 70% of Bhutan's residential areas are located along rivers, while many ice lakes are located upstream. The country's government is implementing risk reduction measures, including organizing evacuation drills, providing information to people and strengthening surveillance in areas likely to be affected.
Since 2008, Bhutan has implemented a project to deepen and expand the drainage canal from the Thorthormi ice lake. The work at high altitude once helped lower the lake water level by 5m, reducing pressure on the rock dam. However, continuous ice melting makes the lake full again and experts are trying to draw water out.
Meteorologist Karma said that Bhutan's largest glaciers are receding 30-35m per year, while smaller glaciers are receding about 12-16m. He said that Bhutan emits less but is still seriously affected by climate change, and called on countries to jointly strengthen response responsibilities.
