Geography · 10 Sep 2026

Glacial Lake Outburst Flood GLOF

Consider the following statements:

  1. The 2026 Tibetan Plateau glacier study attributed the observed glacier retreat primarily to short-term weather variability rather than sustained long-term warming.
  2. The South Lhonak Glacial Lake Outburst Flood (GLOF) of October 2023 occurred in Sikkim.
  3. India and China currently operate an institutionalised bilateral mechanism for real-time sharing of glacial lake hazard data across the Tibetan Plateau.
A1 only
B2 only
C2 and 3 only
D1, 2 and 3
This question is based on: A Chinese Glacier Study Just Confirmed What Nepal's 1981 Flood Already Warned India
Take this in full test mode → Instructions for 10 Sep 2026
About this question

Why in news

A Chinese glacier study released this week quantified major glacier and glacial-lake changes on the Tibetan Plateau, following a fresh glacial collapse near the Nepal-China border on August 26, 2026 that echoed the 1981 Sun Kosi flood.

Why for UPSC

Tests the classic UPSC pattern of separating a genuine finding (attribution to long-term warming) from a plausible-sounding distractor (short-term weather), while anchoring a static fact (South Lhonak GLOF, Sikkim, 2023) with standalone Prelims value.

Prelims summary

The Tibetan Plateau has lost roughly 24% of its glacier area overall and up to 40% in ranges nearest India, due to sustained warming - not short-term weather. No bilateral India-China mechanism currently shares this hazard data downstream, a gap also exposed by the 2023 South Lhonak GLOF in Sikkim.

On web, answers are shown once after a test — no save or reattempt. For unlimited reattempts, Hindi medium, and Mentor Observations, use the TAN App.