The area of Lahaul’s Ghepan Lake has increased by 176% in 33 years. This revelation has come to light in a satellite study. This largest lake of Himachal, formed by the melting of glaciers, has been filled with 35.08 million cubic meters of water.
Ghepan Lake of Lahaul is spread over an area of approximately 101.30 hectares at an altitude of 13,583 feet above sea level. This two and a half kilometer long lake has become a serious threat to the Chenab Valley. National Remote Sensing Center has warned that if this lake breaks, it can cause devastation from Jammu to Pakistan.
The Central Water Commission and the Center for Development of Advanced Computing of the Ministry of Information and Technology have also been studying the Lahaul lake for many decades. Now the total area of the lake has become 101.30 hectares. Its length is 2.464 kilometers and width is 625 meters. This largest lake of Himachal, formed by the melting of glaciers, contains up to 35.08 million cubic meters of water.
Alarm bells for Chenab Valley
It has been said in the report that due to the increasing size of the lake and the rapid melting of glaciers, if the water level continues to rise like this, then the possibility of its sudden rupture will also increase. According to experts, if the lake breaks, its impact will not be limited to Lahaul valley only, but there could be huge damage to the residential areas adjacent to the Chenab river of Jammu and Kashmir and Pakistan.
Early warning system will soon be installed in the lake
Lahaul-Spiti Deputy Commissioner (DC) Kiran Bhadana said that experts and technical team have recently inspected the lake. Soon Himachal’s first early warning system will be installed in the lake. This system will work through satellite and will give prior information about the disaster to the weather department and administration. This technology will prove to be a milestone in saving not only Lahaul Valley but also the areas of Jammu and Kashmir adjacent to Chenab River from possible disaster. The effect of global warming is being seen in the Himalayan areas for almost two decades. Now the number of vehicles has started increasing with tourism activities in Lahaul-Spiti district. Due to this, snow peaks and glaciers have started melting. This is also being considered as the reason for increasing the area of Ghepan Lake.
Ghepan Lake: Confluence of natural beauty and danger
Ghepan Lake is a famous glacier lake in the Lahaul-Spiti district of Himachal Pradesh, located at an altitude of about 13,583 feet (4,130 m) above sea level, above Sissu village. In the local language it is also called Ghepan Ghat Lake or Ghepan Ghat Lake. This lake can be reached after 6-7 hours of trekking from Sissu. Trekking starts from Sissu village located on the Manali-Leh highway, which usually takes 3-5 days to complete. As much as Ghepan Lake is famous for its natural beauty, today it has also become a matter of concern for the environment and the local population.