Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Apr 4: Government today accorded sanction to the constitution of Focussed Glacial Lake Outburst Flood (GLOF) Monitoring Committee (FGMC) to review the status of the glaciers and glacial lakes in the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir.
As per an order, the committee so constituted would be headed by Principal Secretary to the Government, Home Department with Director Ecology, Environment and Remote Sensing, UT of J&K, Prof A Ramsoo, Vice-Chancellor, Islamic University of Sciences and Technology, J&K, DIG ITBP Srinagar, Commandant SDRF 1st Battalion, Director Finance, Disaster Management Relief Rehabilitation and Reconstruction Department, Dr Ajay Kumar, Director GSI J&K, Dr Mukhtar Ahmed, Director IMD J&K, Dr Binay Kumar, GLOF expert, C-DAC, Prof Bikram Singh Bali, HoD School of Earth Sciences, University of Kashmir, Prof Avtar Singh Jasrotia, HoD, Remote Sensing, University of Jammu, Prof Parvaiz Ahmed, HoD, Department of Geography and Disaster Management, University of Kashmir, Dr Zubair Ali, Scientist F, Additional Director DGRE, Dr Piyush Gourav, Senior Consultant of GLOF, NDMA, Waseem Shafi Dar, Senior Consultant, Disaster Management, Relief Rehabilitation and Reconstruction Department as members and Secretary, Disaster Management Relief Rehabilitation and Reconstruction Department as member secretary.
It (order) further said that Deputy Commissioners of the concerned districts shall be permanent invitees to all meetings of FGMC.
“The chairpersons may co-opt any member(s) to obtain required technical and inter-disciplinary input(s) for the committee,” stated the order.
It added that the facilities to be extended to the committee members shall be governed in terms of section 21(3) of the Disaster Management Act, 2005.
Additionally, it has been ordered that the committee shall be assisted by the concerned department(s) in their field studies/observations.
The committee so constituted has been assigned the responsibility of reviewing the current status of glacier and glacial lakes in the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir and identify the vulnerable glacial lakes in the J&K in terms of GLOF, as per the list provided by National Disaster Management Authority.
It would suggest the site-specific best technical measures to minimize glacial threat in identified glacial lakes and the roles and responsibilities of the different stakeholders.
The committee would also suggest action required on human resources generation/ capacity building towards the study and management of glacial retreat and associated threats.
The FGM Committee can also consult leading experts/ organisations as and when required to suggest any other specific measures to minimize the glacial threats in J&K.
The committee shall be serviced by the Disaster Management Relief Rehabilitation and Reconstruction Department, stated the order.
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