Sikkim becomes nation’s first State with indigenous autonomous glacial lake profiling and risk assessment capability

GANGTOK, (PIB): In a significant stride towards technology-enabled disaster preparedness in the Himalayas, Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (C-DAC) under the Ministry of Electronics & Information Technology (MeitY), Government of India, on June 25, handed over an indigenously developed Glacial Lake monitoring technology suite to DST, Government of Sikkim.

The ceremony, held at the Sikkim State Council of Science and Technology (SSCST), Gangtok, was presided over by Pintso Namgyal Lepcha, Minister for Science & Technology, Government of Sikkim, as chief guest, in the presence of senior officials from MeitY, C-DAC, and DST Sikkim.

The handover marks the culmination of sustained R&D effort to address critical climate-induced hazards facing the Indian Himalayan region - Glacial Lake Outburst Floods (GLOFs). Sikkim alone hosts approximately 320 glacial lakes, 14 of which have been identified as high-risk.

The handover was part of a day-long Workshop on Autonomous Glacial Lake Profiling Technologies that brought together scientists, engineers, and policymakers to deliberate on autonomous survey technologies, IoT-driven early warning systems, and high-altitude bathymetry. The workshop featured technical presentations and a panel discussion on GLOF preparedness and field perspectives. The event concluded with a hands-on training session by C-DAC on the NiyanthriQ and AGLP software platforms, equipping DST Sikkim's team for independent field deployment.

The ABSV-AGLP suite is an indigenous platform developed aligning with Atmanirbhar Bharat initiative. By placing an advanced, end-to-end autonomous GLOF risk assessment capability directly in State’s hands, MeitY and C-DAC have demonstrated that central scientific institutions can be powerful enablers of climate resilience at the subnational level — building indigenous capacity where it is needed most. The developed state of the art system is cost effective and at par with the available foreign solutions.

With this transfer, Sikkim becomes the first State in India to independently operate an end-to-end indigenous autonomous Glacial Lake profiling and risk assessment capability. The ceremony was attended by Dr. Sandeep Tambe, Principal Secretary, DST, Govt. of Sikkim; Dhiren Shrestha, Principal Director/Secretary, DST, Govt. of Sikkim; Dr. D. D. Ray, Outstanding Scientist (Retd.), BARC and senior representatives from MeitY, C-DAC, and the Government of Sikkim.