50% jump in lakes from melting ice: Threat of Kedarnath like tragedy rises

There are 2028 glacial lakes and water bodies in the Himalayan region catchment which contribute to rivers flowing across India

While the coronavirus induced lockdown across countries helped the environment recuperate, the decades of overutilisation, pollution, and carbon emission have effected an increase in the volume of glacial lakes by 50 per cent. These lakes have been formed by the melting of ice due to unchecked global warming. 

In the largest-ever study of glacial lakes published in Nature and Climate Change, researchers observed that the volume of lakes formed by the melting of glaciers jumped by 50 per cent since 1990 as glaciers retreat due to climate change. 

The study was conducted using satellite data collected by Nasa, spanning over