SRINAGAR: The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and other government agencies are using satellite and geospatial technologies to monitor more than 2,000 glaciers and 3,219 glacial lakes in Ladakh, with satellite-based modelling also being undertaken to assess the risk of Glacial Lake Outburst Floods (GLOFs), the Lok Sabha was informed on Wednesday.
Minister of State in the Prime Minister’s Office, Jitendra Singh, said the Government had generated a database of more than 2,000 glaciers in Ladakh using satellite data from 2020-23 and mapped changes in the extent of over 1,000 glaciers spanning more than two decades.
An inventory of 3,219 glacial lakes larger than 0.25 hectares has also been prepared for Ladakh under the National Hydrology Project of the Ministry of Jal Shakti. GLOF risk modelling has been carried out for high-risk lakes, including Katkar and Suru, the Minister said in a written reply to Lok Sabha Unstarred Question No. 1808.
The Government has also conducted daily satellite-derived snow-cover mapping across the Indian Himalaya, including Ladakh, from 2019 until September 2025. In addition, 4,912 wetlands have been mapped in Ladakh in collaboration with the University of Jammu.
Satellite data is also being used to monitor and update information on around 41 waterbodies larger than five hectares, with the information provided through the Bhuvan Waterbody Information System, where such monitoring has been carried out since 2012. ISRO is also periodically updating the landslide inventory of Ladakh using satellite imagery.
Among the major space-based initiatives undertaken in Ladakh are the Cryosphere Science and Applications Programme (CAP), which monitors snow and glaciers in the Himalaya-Karakoram region, and the Ladakh Specific Modelling and Space Applications (LAMA) project. The latter includes development of a space-input-based weather forecasting model, heavy rainfall alerts and hydrological simulations to estimate snowmelt, glacial melt runoff and river discharge.
The Satellite Integrated Landslide Assessment and Alert System (SILAAS) project, undertaken under ISRO’s Disaster Management Support Programme since 2023, is mapping landslides in Ladakh and generating village-wise landslide alerts.
The National Hydrology Project, which ran from 2017 to 2025, covered glacial lake mapping, GLOF risk assessment, snow-cover monitoring, evapotranspiration and hydrological drought assessment. The Government has also developed Geo-Ladakh, a spatial data infrastructure and geoportal containing geospatial databases covering natural resources, energy, infrastructure and administrative boundaries, along with capacity-building activities.
On early warning systems, the Government said ISRO and the Department of Space were undertaking advanced research and development to strengthen space-input-based early warning systems for GLOFs, extreme weather events and landslides, with the resulting capabilities expected to benefit Ladakh.
ISRO and the Department of Space provide the Ladakh administration with space-based information on floods, GLOF events and forest fires during the response phase of major disasters. Under the Space-based Information Support for Decentralised Planning (SISDP) programme, land use and land cover, drainage, settlements, slope, and rail and road infrastructure have also been mapped at a 1:10,000 scale and hosted on the Bhuvan-Panchayat portal to support developmental planning.
The Government said ISRO and the Department of Space have also been conducting periodic training programmes to build capacity and expand the use of space technology for sustainable development and disaster risk reduction, with participants from Ladakh benefiting from these initiatives.
