Latest news with #Icimod
The Star
11-07-2025
- Climate
- The Star
‘Fatal deluge caused by Tibetan glacial lake drainage'
Hang tight: Army personnel rescuing people stranded by floods on the Bhote Koshi River. — AP The deadly flood in the country's Bhote Koshi River that killed at least nine people and left more than two dozen missing this week was triggered by the draining of a supraglacial lake in the Tibet region of China, a regional climate monitoring body said. At least 19 people, including six Chinese workers at the Beijing-aided Inland Container Depot, remained missing in Nepal after Tuesday's floods that also washed away the 'Friendship Bridge' that links Nepal and China. China's official Xinhua news agency has said at least 11 people were unaccounted for on the Chinese side of the mountainous border region. The Kathmandu-based International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (Icimod) said yesterday that satellite imagery showed the flood originated from the draining of the lake north of Nepal's Langtang Himal range. 'This is based on the preliminary analysis of the available satellite images,' Sudan Maharjan, a remote sensing analyst and expert of glaciers at Icimod, said. A supraglacial lake is formed on the surface of glaciers, particularly in debris-covered areas. It often begins as small meltwater ponds that gradually expand and sometimes merge to form a larger supraglacial lake, experts say. Saswata Sanyal, another Icimod official, said such events were increasing at an 'unprecedented' pace in the Hindu Kush mountains which are spread across Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, India, Myanmar, Nepal and Pakistan. 'We need to delve deeper into the triggers that are resulting in cascading impacts,' Sanyal said. The June-September monsoon causes massive floods and landslides in mountainous Nepal which, officials and experts say, is vulnerable to effects of climate change like extreme weather patterns, inconsistent rainfall, flash floods, landslides and glacial lake outburst floods. This year's early monsoon rains have inflicted deadly damage elsewhere in Nepal where at least 38 people have been killed or are missing since May 29, according to data from the government's National Disaster Relief, Reduction and Management Authority. — Reuters
Malay Mail
10-07-2025
- Climate
- Malay Mail
‘Completely unprecedented': Glacial lake collapse highlights climate threat in deadly China-Nepal flash floods, say experts
KATHMANDU, July 10 — Flash floods that killed at least nine people in a mountainous region between China and Nepal and swept away a key bridge linking the two countries, were caused by the release of water from a glacial lake, experts said yesterday. About 30 people are still missing after Tuesday's floods, including 19 people in Nepal and 11 in China, according to officials and media reports. 'Our initial assessment shows that the origin of the flood was the draining of a supraglacial lake located on the north side of the Langtang mountain,' geologist Sudan Bikash Maharjan of the Nepal-based International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (Icimod) told AFP. Supraglacial lakes are formed on the surface of glaciers, often beginning as small meltwater ponds that gradually expand to form larger lakes. The lake in question used to be a small pond, but it grew significantly in size over the past month, Icimod said in a statement yesterday, citing satellite photos. In Nepal, nine bodies have been recovered and 19 others — 13 Nepalis and six Chinese — are listed as missing, according to police. China's state television CCTV reported that a 'mudslide disaster' hit the border area around dawn Tuesday, with 11 people missing on the Chinese side. 'Completely unprecedented' In the 2000s, glacial origin floods in the Hindu Kush Himalaya region typically occurred every five to ten years, according to Icimod, but they have become notably more frequent in recent years. A glacial lake outburst flood (GLOF) is the sudden release of water collected in former glacier beds. These lakes are formed by the retreat of glaciers, with the warmer temperatures of human-caused climate change turbocharging the melting of the icy reservoirs. Glacial lakes are often unstable because they are dammed by ice or loose debris. In the last two months, Nepal, Afghanistan and Pakistan have all seen glacial origin floods. In addition to the border disaster on Tuesday, Nepal's Upper Mustang region was also hit by a flood. 'The acceleration of these types of events is completely unprecedented in the region. We need to delve deeper into the triggers that are resulting in cascading impacts,' said Saswata Sanyal, Icimod Disaster Risk Reduction lead. Experts predict that the risk of glacial lake outburst floods is expected to peak this year, as rising temperatures create more lakes. In 2020, more than 2,000 lakes were mapped across Nepal by Icimod, with 21 identified as potentially dangerous for their size and other criteria. But recent floods have been caused by smaller, lesser noticed lakes. 'These events are signals and symptoms of really rising temperatures, and are more destructive than normal floods due to the debris and steep topography,' said Sharad Prashad Joshi, a cryosphere monitoring specialist at Icimod. — AFP
Malay Mail
10-07-2025
- Climate
- Malay Mail
‘Completely unprecedented': Glacial lake collapse highlights climate threat in deadly China-Nepal flash floods
KATHMANDU, July 10 — Flash floods that killed at least nine people in a mountainous region between China and Nepal and swept away a key bridge linking the two countries, were caused by the release of water from a glacial lake, experts said yesterday. About 30 people are still missing after Tuesday's floods, including 19 people in Nepal and 11 in China, according to officials and media reports. 'Our initial assessment shows that the origin of the flood was the draining of a supraglacial lake located on the north side of the Langtang mountain,' geologist Sudan Bikash Maharjan of the Nepal-based International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (Icimod) told AFP. Supraglacial lakes are formed on the surface of glaciers, often beginning as small meltwater ponds that gradually expand to form larger lakes. The lake in question used to be a small pond, but it grew significantly in size over the past month, Icimod said in a statement yesterday, citing satellite photos. In Nepal, nine bodies have been recovered and 19 others — 13 Nepalis and six Chinese — are listed as missing, according to police. China's state television CCTV reported that a 'mudslide disaster' hit the border area around dawn Tuesday, with 11 people missing on the Chinese side. 'Completely unprecedented' In the 2000s, glacial origin floods in the Hindu Kush Himalaya region typically occurred every five to ten years, according to Icimod, but they have become notably more frequent in recent years. A glacial lake outburst flood (GLOF) is the sudden release of water collected in former glacier beds. These lakes are formed by the retreat of glaciers, with the warmer temperatures of human-caused climate change turbocharging the melting of the icy reservoirs. Glacial lakes are often unstable because they are dammed by ice or loose debris. In the last two months, Nepal, Afghanistan and Pakistan have all seen glacial origin floods. In addition to the border disaster on Tuesday, Nepal's Upper Mustang region was also hit by a flood. 'The acceleration of these types of events is completely unprecedented in the region. We need to delve deeper into the triggers that are resulting in cascading impacts,' said Saswata Sanyal, Icimod Disaster Risk Reduction lead. Experts predict that the risk of glacial lake outburst floods is expected to peak this year, as rising temperatures create more lakes. In 2020, more than 2,000 lakes were mapped across Nepal by Icimod, with 21 identified as potentially dangerous for their size and other criteria. But recent floods have been caused by smaller, lesser noticed lakes. 'These events are signals and symptoms of really rising temperatures, and are more destructive than normal floods due to the debris and steep topography,' said Sharad Prashad Joshi, a cryosphere monitoring specialist at Icimod. — AFP
