ABSTRACT
The greater Himalayan Mountains hosts the largest snow covered area outside the Polar Regions and serve as the source for some of the major systems of the world. The region acts as the life line for approximately 10% of the world’s population. The terrain is geologically active, highly susceptible to climate change processes and plays a significant role in global hydro-meteorological cycles and biodiversity. With the increasing impacts of climate change the glaciers and ice caps during the past few decades, people living in the Himalayas are vulnerable to a higher risk of floods, avalanches and glacial lake outburst floods (GLOFs). A review of the research work carried out by earlier workers is drawn to understand the history and science of GLOFs and its potential risk to the communities in the Himalayan belt, particularly in Pakistan.
