Social vulnerability assessment of Glacial Lake Outburst Flood in a Northeastern state in India

Abstract

The Himalayas are experiencing rapid climate change that is significantly contributing to glacier retreat, formation of new glacial lakes, and enlargement of the existing ones. The presence of glacial lakes in the Himalayan region makes it a potential threat for the downstream community, as the catastrophic failure of the lake causes the Glacial Lake Outburst Flood (GLOF), which significantly damages the low-lying areas. Devising appropriate risk reduction strategies for the downstream community to the GLOF hazard is the prime concern for the policymakers. In this study, we have assessed the social vulnerability of the downstream community of Chungthang town of Sikkim Himalaya. Many settlements at Chungthang are potentially exposed to the future GLOF of South Lohnak Lake, one of the fastest-growing glacial lakes in Sikkim, India. A sample size of 90 households have been selected and classified into migrated and permanent residents for the study. Primary data have been collected by using a semi-structured questionnaire. Results revealed that, in Chungthang migrated population are more vulnerable because of their low adaptive capacity and high exposure to the GLOF of South Lohnak lake in Sikkim. The study suggests some important mitigation measures to decrease the vulnerability of the vulnerable community by improving some of the important socioeconomic indicators.