Ladakh has experienced GLOF in 1833, 1834, 1841, 1858, 1930 (Shayok valley); 1907, 1998 (Leh);2003 (Domkhar); 2010 (Nidder); 2014 (Gya); 2015 (Phugtal); 2017 (Achinathang) etc. As the glaciers are thinning and retreating, resulting in associated glacier melt water lakes are expanding in size and new lakes continue to be formed. The lakes receiving melt water from glaciers are generally known as glacial lakes. A glacial lake is defined as water mass existing in a sufficient amount and extending with a free surface in, under, beside, and/or in front of a glacier and originating from glacier activities and retreating processes of a glaciers. As glaciers retreat, the formation of glacial lakes takes place behind moraine or ice dam. These damming materials are generally weak and can brust suddenly due to various triggering factors leading to disaster floods. Such outburst floods are known as GLOF . In the short term, glacial lake outburst floods GLOFs are major hazards and potential risk for local communities as lake are formed and grow due to the disappearance of ice from a previously glaciated region. Some studies have noted glacier lakes are in the process of formation. There are high chances of bursting of these lakes due to their formation in weak moraine structures. It may cause huge devastation in the downstream in the case of bursting.
