Experts warned 21 Nepali Mountain Glacial Lakes are prone to a sudden outburst at any time.
A glaciologist and head of the department of the school of environmental science at Kathmandu University, Dr Rijan Bhakta Kayastha called for attention to save lives from this emerging phenomenon.
He said an ICIMOD study shows that Nepal’s 21 glacial lakes are at high risk along with 15 Tibetan and 1 Indian Glacial Lakes. He added the government needs to take some urgent measures to minimize the damage.
Tsho Rolpa and Imja Tsho are two of the glacial lakes in Nepal that has reached a maturity level and can burst anytime.
“Increase in annual average temperature has triggered the pace of glacier melting and disrupted the ice formation process” warned Dr Kayastha. He requested an early warning system development for informing the downstream communities about the eruption of potential disasters.
According to Kayastha, Nepal’s temperature has been increasing by 0.029-degree centigrade every year, this has threatened the biodiversity and livelihood of people including the Himalayan community.
The program discussed the impact of climate change on water resources, freshwater ecosystems and humanity.
