Since joining the civil service as a glaciologist in 1997, Toeb Karma spent over two decades working to mitigate the risk of Glacial Lake Outburst Floods in Bhutan. 

He has led several teams to study and monitor glaciers in the most difficult parts of the country and helped develop a comprehensive inventory of glacial lakes in Bhutan including those that pose the greatest risk to lives and livelihoods downstream. 

Between 2008 to 2012, he led a team to lower the water level of Thorthomi Lake in Lunana- a challenging but important project which has greatly helped mitigate the risk of flood posed by the lake. 

In 2021, he revised the inventory on glaciers in Bhutan using the high-resolution satellite imageries and RADAR data and published the “Bhutan Glacial Lake Inventory 2021”.

Yesterday, during the celebrations of the National Day, His Majesty The King conferred Toeb Karma the National Order of Merit, Gold. 

Toeb Karma, Specialist and Head of Cryosphere Service Division of the National Hydrology and Meteorology Centre, was recognised for his exemplary services to the nation through his work in preparing for climate-change-related risks. 

Toeb Karma graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Geology from Jadavpur University in India in 1996 and MSc in Glaciology from Nagoya University in Japan in 2001.