Survey Gangotri glacier every year, publish reports: HC to Uttarakhand | India News

Nainital: The Uttarakhand HC on Thursday disposed of the public interest litigation filed by Delhi-based activist Ajay Gautam in a case pertaining to the formation of an artificial lake near Gangotri glacier at the snout of Gaumukh, from where Bhagirathi, the primary stream of Ganga emerges.
A division bench of chief justice Vipin Sanghi and justice RC Khulbe directed the State Disaster Management Authority (SDMA) to conduct a survey of the region every year from May to September, when the snow typically melts and water levels rise, and publish the findings on its website.
“The court had previously in 2018 directed the government to keep a continuous, vigilant check on the site and submit a report every three months. However, the administration failed to do so, which is why the matter was taken up again in 2020,” said petitioner Gautam.
The government eventually filed a compliance report stating the action it had taken against erring officials. SDMA, on the basis of guidance from the court, also entered into a memorandum of understanding with the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and the Wadia Institute of Himalayan Geology to survey such sites. It claimed in one of its visits that the artificial lake at the spot may have dissolved.
Gautam had claimed a “Kedarnath floods-like” situation could possibly take place if suitable action was not taken. He had raised alarm over the mound of debris and rock that had accumulated at the spot.