Frozen / Unfrozen Lakes – 5th June 2026
Satellite Based Statistics
SUPARCO has been regularly monitoring the status of Potentially Dangerous Glacial Lakes (PDGLs) using satellite imagery. GLOF updates are shared with relevant authorities including Ministry of Climate Change (MoCC) technical committee. The current assessment is based on satellite imagery acquired on 31 May 2026 and 1 June 2026.
As illustrated in the accompanying chart, only 24 out of the 130 identified potentially dangerous glacial lakes are currently unfrozen and observable, and their respective lake extents have been quantified. The map presents the latest satellite imagery of these lakes together with the spatial distribution of lakes, both frozen and unfrozen in different colors, and exposed population. Population density is represented as the number of people residing within each 100 m × 100 m grid cell in the vicinity of the monitored lakes, providing an indication of potential downstream exposure to GLOF-related hazards.
Disclaimer: Potential GLOF locations were provided by relevant Provincial Disaster Management Authorities (PDMAs), i.e. PDMA Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and GBDMA. Earlier GLOF updates were based on past inventories shared by mentioned agencies. A comparison of the old and updated inventories indicates that 56 lakes are common to both datasets.
