33 dangerous glacial lakes put 7.1 million people at risk, Senate told

Islamabad: Pakistan has 13,032 glaciers and more than 3,000 glacial lakes. Thirty-three of these lakes are described as dangerous and capable of bursting suddenly, putting about 7.1 million people in Gilgit Baltistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa at risk, a Senate committee was told.

The warning came during a detailed briefing on Glacial Lake Outburst Floods, known as GLOFs, with officials discussing the condition of glaciers, danger from unstable lakes and the country’s early warning system.

The briefing showed that the warning system itself faces problems in some high risk areas. Gilgit Baltistan PDMA officials told the committee that 174 early warning systems had been provided, including river gauges, lake gauges, rain gauges and weather stations, with 151 in place. Officials said sensors and communication SIMs were not working properly during cloudy weather, which is also the time when warnings may be needed most.

The Gilgit Baltistan officials said the main monitoring dashboard is with the Pakistan Meteorological Department and information can reach provincial authorities after a delay of two to three hours. They said such a delay is a serious concern because a GLOF or flash flood can develop very quickly. The officials requested real time access to warning data so that district authorities can alert communities and start evacuation drills without losing valuable time.

A senior official told the committee that when a GLOF occurs, communities may have only about 15 minutes to half an hour before the flood reaches them. The official said delays in moving information between different departments could reduce the time available to warn and evacuate people.

The committee was also informed that Gilgit Baltistan has around 171 high-risk valleys. A study carried out by SUPARCO in August 2026 identified 24 glacial lakes in Gilgit Baltistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa from a group of 115 lakes studied. Five were placed in the high-danger category, 10 in medium danger and nine in low danger. The five high-danger lakes were located in Astore, Ghizer and Hunza.

Officials said more than 100 flood events linked to widespread melting occurred across Gilgit Baltistan during 2025 and 2026. In Tormik, around 800 households remained cut off from the rest of the region for about two weeks and supplies had to be delivered by helicopters. In 2025, 41 people died, 52 were injured, more than 800 houses were completely damaged and around 400 houses were partially damaged. During 2026, officials reported damage to 525 houses, about 1,000 livestock, 31 bridges and 41 head works, along with around 636 kilometres of roads.

The briefing said 48 safe havens had been built across 10 districts along with 17 community based disaster risk management centres and protective walls in 16 valleys. Safe havens are government buildings, mostly schools on higher ground, where communities can move during a GLOF, flash flood or cloudburst after taking part in evacuation drills.

Officials also said Pakistan does not have one dedicated national institution responsible for regularly assessing GLOF lakes. The briefing pointed to the need for a single national glacier inventory, regular monitoring and assessment of lake size and the strength of natural barriers holding the water. Satellite images are widely used to identify lakes, but officials said such data cannot provide complete information about lake depth.

The committee was told that the Hindu Kush, Karakoram and Himalaya region has 13,032 mapped glaciers and that more than 200 million people downstream depend on these glaciers. Per person water availability in Pakistan has fallen from about 5,800 cubic metres in 1950 to less than 850 cubic metres in 2025, while about 60 to 70 percent of the flow of the Indus river system comes from snow and glacier melt.

A climate briefing said an ICIMOD study found that nearly 9 percent of glacier reserves were lost between 2010 and 2020. It also reported a continuous decline in seasonal snow patterns from 2023 to 2026.

The meeting also highlighted a coordination problem. Officials said responsibility for glaciers and water systems lies with the Ministry of Water Resources and WAPDA, weather systems with the Pakistan Meteorological Department, satellite matters with SUPARCO and disaster management with NDMA. The government has formed a committee to work on integrating these areas. A proposal was also discussed for a shared digital platform through which relevant institutions could provide real-time information.

The committee was told that proposed solutions include a unified national glacier inventory, hazard mapping, satellite and drone monitoring, use of artificial intelligence and machine learning, digital information systems and community-based warning systems.

The meeting also discussed the need for safer land planning in Gilgit Baltistan. Officials said highly vulnerable communities could be moved to safer locations and that digital models could be used to predict the path of floodwater from identified GLOF locations.

UNDP officials said 246 warning stations had been handed over to the meteorological department, with the average number functioning ranging between 210 and 225. They said the stations use satellite and 4G connections, while satellite communication is used where 4G is not available.

The committee was also told that early warning infrastructure needs to remain connected and operational because even a short delay can reduce the time available for communities to move to safety. The committee called for stronger coordination, better monitoring and clear action plans to protect people living near vulnerable glaciers and lakes.