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The expanding glacial lakes in the Himalayas are a serious concern. The expansion of these lakes often results in a disaster known as glacial lake outburst floods (GLOF). Just five days back, on August 16, one such event was recorded in Nepal’s Khumbu region.
The outburst of the Thyanbo glacial lake in the village of Thame flooded the area and sent alarm bells ringing across the concerned organisations and experts working to protect the Himalayas from an adversely changing climate.
According to local press, in the initial damage assessment, this flood in Nepal is known to have damaged 14 properties, including a school, a health centre, five hotels, and seven houses. The Thame village is home to the renowned Everest climber Kami Rita Sherpa who has scaled the world’s highest mountain for a record 30 times so far.
The Thame village is situated below several such glacial lakes which are on the brink of an outburst and the threat of a wide-scale destruction seems to be getting more real with every passing day.
According to ICIMOD, the size of the lake was approximately 0.05 square kilometres at 10:46 AM Nepal Standard Time on August 16, 2024, before it burst. It is estimated that the burst occurred around 1:25 PM that day.
Tenzing Chogyal Sherpa, an ICIMOD cryosphere analyst and founder of the Save Our Snow campaign, was quoted in a statement, “This flood has swept away parts of a village I know well, where friends, neighbours, and relatives live, with ancestral ties going back generations. Millions of people living in the mountains have contributed nothing to greenhouse gas emissions but are bearing the brunt of these emissions' devastating effects”.
“The science is clear: G20 economies need to cut ties with fossil fuels and accelerate the use of renewable energy, ensuring that adaptation, loss, and damage funds reach affected communities. For mountain communities—raise your voice for immediate action. The continued inaction of world leaders on this issue is creating a risk,” he added.
The press release also quoted Nima Sherpa, a supporter of Save Our Snow, as saying: “Thame was a beautiful village, home to many generations of Sherpa people and their families. These homes are now buried under debris. It is tragic to see how mountain communities are paying the price for the global climate crisis. Some people complain about too much or too little snow affecting beauty and recreation, but such changes are affecting the entire life of mountain communities.”
Meanwhile, ICIMOD's cryosphere lead Miriam Jackson said that the climate change is actually a crime scene and that these glaciers are making it more visible with every passing day.
“We cannot look the other way,” she said.
The Nepal-based International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) analysed satellite imagery from the European Space Agency’s Copernicus Earth Observation programme in 2017 and found that the size of these lakes is constantly changing.
Researchers from ICIMOD have confirmed that some of these lakes frequently expand and contract, increasing the likelihood of cracks formation.
According to an ICIMOD press release, satellite imagery has shown continuous changes in the size of the lake situated above the Thame River.
ICIMOD notes that these lakes are located near the popular trekking destination of the Tashi Lapcha Pass. One of the most potentially dangerous glacial lakes in this region is Tso Rolpa in the neighbouring valley.
Additionally, ICIMOD scientists are investigating the causes and downstream effects of GLOF including taking pre and post-event satellite images to complement the efforts of national and local agencies such as Nepal's Department of Hydrology and Meteorology.
According to ICMOD’s assessment report titled Water, ice, society, and ecosystems in the Hindu Kush Himalaya: An outlook, glaciers, snow, and permafrost in the region are undergoing unprecedented changes due to global warming. These changes are highly sensitive and can endanger countless lives and property.
The report further noted that 260 million people live in the Hindu Kush Himalayas, and these mountain-dwelling communities are already dealing with the rapid melting of glaciers, changes in snowfall patterns, increased variability in water availability, and rising occurrences of cryosphere-related hazards, all of which directly impact their lives and livelihoods.
The report also warned about an anticipated increase in floods and landslides, particularly as climate change leads to an increase in water and cryosphere-related disasters recorded in recent years. These disasters are caused by rapidly melting ice, large and dangerous lakes, unstable slopes due to the melting permafrost, and increased sediment loads in rivers.
The size and number of glacial lakes are on the rise, and by the end of the 21st century, an estimated threefold increase in GLOF incidence is expected across the Hindu Kush Himalayas, with predictions suggesting we will reach the ‘peak of GLOF risk’ by 2050.
There are more than 25,000 glacial lakes in the Hindu Kush Himalayas, with 47 potentially dangerous glacial lakes (PDGLs) located in Nepal’s Koshi, Gandaki, and Karnali river basins, China’s Tibet Autonomous Region, and India.
High mountains in the Himalayan regions are a global hotspot for GLOF risk. According to a new glacial lake inventory report, nearly a million people live within 10 kilometres of a glacial lake.
It is important to note that in the last 450 years, there have been 24 GLOFs recorded in Nepal.