Design Architecture of Glacier Lake Outburst Flood (GLOF) Early Warning System Using Ultrasonic Sensors

The glaciers in the Himalayan region are nature's valuable source of fresh water and these frozen reservoirs release large amounts of ice melt water to many of the major rivers of this region. Rapid accumulation of water in the glacial lakes can lead to a sudden breach of their unstable moraine `dams'. The resultant discharges of huge amounts of water and debris - a Glacial Lake Outburst Flood (GLOF)/Flash Flood - often have catastrophic effects downstream. The Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (C-DAC) has developed ultrasonic sensor based monitoring system, which continuously records the fluctuations in water level as well as the ice thickness which forms over the lake surface. The sensor electronics is in link with Satellite through DRT payload of INSAT-3C. This is first-of-its-kind system in the country and will be a great boon to the nation in the area of disaster forecast and management. Currently, the system is deployed at Shako Chho (4987 m above msl) and Kupup Chho (3982 m above msl) glacial lakes.