Over 27 per cent increase in glacial lake area among 55 glacial lakes in India since 2011: CWC

New Delhi, Oct 17: The water spread area of glacial lakes within India has increased by over 27 per cent between 2011 and July 2025, according to the Central Water Commission (CWC). The finding comes from the Monthly Monitoring Report of Glacial Lakes and Water Bodies in the Himalayan Region, July 2025, which analysed 55 glacial lakes across the country.

The report said the total inventory area of glacial lakes within India rose from 1,952 hectares in 2011 to 2,496 hectares in July 2025 — a 27.87 per cent increase. The analysis covered 100 glacial lakes located across Ladakh, Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Sikkim, and Arunachal Pradesh. Of these, 58 lakes showed significant growth in their water spread area.

State-wise, lakes identified for close monitoring include Ladakh (8), Jammu and Kashmir (7), Himachal Pradesh (5), Uttarakhand (6), Sikkim (28), and Arunachal Pradesh (4).

The CWC report also revealed that the total area of glacial lakes and water bodies in the Himalayan region increased from 5,29,116 hectares in 2011 to 5,61,014 hectares in 2025 — a 6.03 per cent overall rise.

The monitoring, conducted using Sentinel-1 and Sentinel-2 satellite imagery processed through the Google Earth Engine platform, classified the lakes based on changes in their water spread area, noting increases of up to and beyond 40 per cent.

Prepared by the Morphology and Climate Change Directorate of the CWC under the Ministry of Jal Shakti, the report is part of an ongoing assessment of glacial lakes in the Indian Himalayan region.

As of July 2025, the CWC monitored a total of 2,843 glacial lakes and water bodies — 581 within India and 1,360 in the trans-boundary region — covering the Indus, Ganga, and Brahmaputra basins.

Among the Indian glacial lakes newly tracked under the Glacial Lake Atlas 2023, the combined water spread area rose by 7.74 per cent, from 11,963 hectares in 2021 to 12,890 hectares in 2025. In the trans-boundary region, the area increased by 5.77 per cent, from 44,409 hectares to 46,971 hectares over the same period.

The CWC noted that in July 2025 alone, 471 glacial lakes within India displayed an increase in water spread area, highlighting the ongoing impact of climate change on the Himalayan ecosystem.