About Vasundhara Lake:
- Location: It is a high-altitude glacial lake located in Chamoli district of Uttarakhand.
- It is situated at an elevation of about 4,795 meters in the Raikana valley.
- It serves as an originating source for the Dhauliganga River, a vital tributary of the Alaknanda.
- The lake sits at the snout of the Raikana Glacier which is the primary source of this lake.
- It was classified as Category A, the highest-risk category lake by the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA).
What the Vasundhara Early-warning system will monitor?
- The system will track water level, weather, snow conditions, water flow and movement around the lake.
- Components and Working:
- A water-level sensor will monitor fluctuations and abnormal changes.
- An automatic weather station will record temperature, humidity, rainfall, wind speed and direction, atmospheric pressure and light intensity.
- Snow-depth and sub-surface temperature sensors will monitor changes in snow conditions.
- Tilt and accelerometer sensors will detect movement and vibrations at selected locations, while a water-flow sensor will monitor changes in discharge.
- The equipment will be powered through a solar-energy system, and data will be transmitted by satellite because conventional mobile networks are unavailable in the remote high-altitude region.
- A data logger and monitoring dashboard will record the readings and generate alerts when predetermined thresholds are crossed.
