**1.1 Glacial Lake Outburst Floods (GLOFs)**

Terminal moraines and glacial lakes have been exposed in these high mountains as a result of surging, substantial melting, and retreating of glaciers. GLOFs have become a matter of concern for social and economic stability in the river valleys because of the rapid addition of meltwater in those glacial lakes adjacent to receding valley glaciers and may lead to sudden breaching of the unstable debris dam. Thus, it is very important to understand the state and fate of these glaciers and lakes as well for long-term development and planning in this region [12, 13].

During the last half-century, a large number of glacial lakes development have been witnessed in the CPEC region, and at the same time, several GLOFs have been reported, especially, in the eastern part of the CPEC region. Probably, remote glacial lakes are under risk and they may impact the downstream inhabitant as a result of GLOFs. These GLOFs may have devastating effects on the population as well as property and infrastructure [14–16].

The understanding that GLOFs can significantly surpass design floods of Hydropower Plant (HPP) under the threat of destruction or complete non-functionality is based on few case studies [17–19] but a clear picture of regional GLOF exposure remains vague. The previous glacial lake inventories to identify future GLOF sources have neglected their impacts on downstream areas [20]. However,

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*Risks of Glaciers Lakes Outburst Flood along China Pakistan Economic Corridor*

hydrodynamic modeling may encounter such kinds of impacts but it requires a detailed analysis of high-resolution Digital Elevation Models (DEMs) and high computation facilities so that simulations of possible outbursts are existing for only a handful of lakes [12, 21, 22]. This research gap has been filled by linking a glacial lake inventory with both flood propagation and a dam-breach model to assess potential flood magnitudes for a sample of operating, planned, and currently built

Regional predictions of peak discharges as a result of GLOFs are difficult because of the unavailability of data on the geometry of glacial lakes and the moraine dams. The current field visit as well as different researchers provided an alternative solution to this problem and use the range of the simulated peak discharges at each HPP as a measure of uncertainty of GLOF exposure. For our flood propagation model, the volume and the resulting distributions of peak discharges

for each lake have been used as the initial conditions during the field visit.

CPEC is in the interest of both the countries China and Pakistan; it will develop

The northern part of Pakistan is mostly consisting of a mountainous region, which is rich in glaciers and glacial lakes. The source of water in the river is glacier melting and rainfall. The population living downstream is under high risk due to the melting of glaciers and GLOFs [26–28]. International Center for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD's) published an inventory in 2005, which comprised of 2420 glacial lakes in 10 major river basins of Hindukush Karakoram Himalayan Region of Pakistan [29]. The different river basins have glacial lakes such as Gilgit (614), Indus (574), Swat (255) Shingo (238), and Hunza (110). The Gilgit River basin comprised of 614 glacial lakes and 380 lakes out of 614 were identified

connectivity between west China and south China; and it is an integrated part of the "One Belt One Road" initiative policy. The establishments of China and Pakistan have agreed to complete the CPEC route from Kashgar (China) to Gwadar (Pakistan) by the end of 2030. The Chinese government is providing necessary support in terms of finance and logistics to build the infrastructure along the CPEC route. The CPEC is not only important for both the countries but also will prove beneficial for the surrounding countries. This project will strengthen the economic growth of Pakistan and it is the right initiative for both the countries. This corridor is considered a sign of peace, prosperity, and development. Even though this economic corridor is challenging but it will open new horizons of development in the future for both the countries. In the past, the lack of the right decision and insufficient opportunities have always remained a hurdle in the way of Pakistani peoples but CPEC will have transformational impacts on the state and the prosperity Pakistani nationals. The Chinese president Xi's visit in April 2015 and the announcement of \$46 billion-plus for various CPEC projects drew the world's attention to this region because new development and growth of the economy will benefit both of the countries under the umbrella of this economic corridor. In the meeting called by the Prime Minister of Pakistan, all political parties have supported the CPEC and project and warmly welcomed the Chinese investment. This project will bring a revolution in the lives of over 3 billion people in this region. It will improve the strategic and economic location of Pakistan through trade and investment and exploration of mineral resources. Alternatively, according to China's perspective, this is a "flagship project" because it provides the shortest route to the Middle East, Africa, and Europe, which will boost up its economy. This corridor is

*DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.93459*

hydropower plant in the CPEC region [23–25].

passing through the Northern part of Pakistan.

**2. Hunza River basin**

#### *Risks of Glaciers Lakes Outburst Flood along China Pakistan Economic Corridor DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.93459*

hydrodynamic modeling may encounter such kinds of impacts but it requires a detailed analysis of high-resolution Digital Elevation Models (DEMs) and high computation facilities so that simulations of possible outbursts are existing for only a handful of lakes [12, 21, 22]. This research gap has been filled by linking a glacial lake inventory with both flood propagation and a dam-breach model to assess potential flood magnitudes for a sample of operating, planned, and currently built hydropower plant in the CPEC region [23–25].

Regional predictions of peak discharges as a result of GLOFs are difficult because of the unavailability of data on the geometry of glacial lakes and the moraine dams. The current field visit as well as different researchers provided an alternative solution to this problem and use the range of the simulated peak discharges at each HPP as a measure of uncertainty of GLOF exposure. For our flood propagation model, the volume and the resulting distributions of peak discharges for each lake have been used as the initial conditions during the field visit.
