The Ministry of Emergency Situations of Kyrgyzstan is monitoring the bursting hazard of high-mountain lakes.
According to the ministry, every year from July 20 to August 15, employees of the Department of Monitoring and Forecasting of Emergency Situations carry out work to study the state of high-mountain lakes, including ground surveys and continuous monitoring based on remote sensing data.
Outbursts of mountain lakes are a common phenomenon in the history of their development. High mountain lake outbursts often lead to the formation of powerful mudflows, but such mudflows account for less than 1 percent of all recorded mudflows in the Kyrgyz Republic. Climatic changes, degradation of glaciation have a certain impact on the development of high-mountain lakes.
The ministry notes that the study of outburst-prone lakes is necessary to prevent and mitigate the consequences of their outbursts.
«At the first stage, space images and remote sensing data are analyzed, as well as hydrometeorological data of Kyrgyzhydromet, and on the basis of such analysis lakes are prioritized. At the second stage, the most dangerous lakes with a risk of causing damage to settlements and infrastructure objects are selected, and ground surveys using UAVs are carried out on these lakes, and the main parameters are measured: lake depth, water temperature and so on,» the Ministry of Emergency Situations said.
Having assessed the volume of the lake, the specialists simulate a possible lake outburst in specialized programs. Calculations are usually made for the current volume and for the maximum possible volume. Having assessed the possible affected area, employees of district departments of the Ministry of Emergency Situations carry out explanatory work with the local population. Mudflow-control dams are built according to special projects in especially dangerous areas.
The ministry added that due to the expected increase in air temperature in the last ten days of July, constant satellite monitoring was carried out for a month on all lakes of the first and second hazard categories. In July, no lake outbursts causing any damage were recorded. Monitoring work on outburst-prone lakes by the Ministry of Emergency Situations of the Kyrgyz Republic will continue until the beginning of last ten days of August.
