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Kathmandu, August 2. The Himalayas are believed to be responsible for the severe flooding in Solukhumbu Khumbu Pasang Lhamo rural municipality on May 5, but the Himalayan glaciers were not on the list of risks in the study conducted in the Himalayan region.
In the past, only large glaciers were mentioned as risks. The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Mitigation Agency said: “The focus was only on large glacial lakes such as Chyo-Rolpa and Inja, which were not named this time. The glacial lake breakup caused huge losses.” Anil Pokharel, the managing authority, told Online News that Shimtar also showed that it can cause such devastating damage.
A joint study conducted by the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ISMOD) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in 2077 showed that 47 glaciers were at high risk. Of these, 25 were in China, 21 in Nepal and 1 in India.
Dr. Arunbhakt Shrestha, a senior climate change expert, said.
But in the risk list mentioned in the study, there is no mention of glaciers in the Thame region. Shrestha said the risk level is based on the size of the glacier, the natural dams covering the glacier and the possibility of avalanches.
Shrestha said Friday’s incident also shows how big the risk of a major avalanche is. “However, the size of the glacier does not determine the extent of the damage, it is whether it breaks all at once or piecemeal that matters,” Dr. Isimood said. “However, this incident shows that small glaciers should also be a concern,” Shrestha told Habar Online.
In addition, Nepal’s Bhotekoshi was damaged when the Himalayas split toward Tibet in 2016. “The events of 2016 and now send a clear message,” he said, “to pay attention to small glaciers as well.”
In the 2016 incident, the Bhotekoshi hydropower project, 30 km from Lipingbazar to Hardikul, was damaged. Buildings along the river were vandalized.
So far, floods in Solukhumb have destroyed seven houses and five hotels, while the Thame Primary School dormitory and a clinic have been completely damaged.
According to locals, it is not the hiking season in the Khumbu region and the afternoon floods did not cause more casualties. Disaster Management Bureau CEO Pokharel said that although there were no casualties, the physical structure suffered huge damage.
Direct impacts of climate change
Defence Minister Manvir Rai, Disaster Management Authority chief executive Pokharel and a team conducted an aerial tour of the upper Thames region on Saturday morning following flooding in the Himalayas. Pokharel said the direct impact of climate change could be seen during the helicopter tour.
“When we reached the departure point in the affected area, we were flying at an altitude of more than 4,800 meters, but it was extremely hot there,” he recalled, “According to records from the hydrometeorological service, the temperatures of 15/16 degrees we had there were unique in themselves.”
Pokharel said glaciers and ice masses are melting rapidly due to abnormally high temperatures in the Himalayas. “This shows that our Himalayas are in crisis,” he added.
According to authorities officials, water was seen splashing out of a glacier in the upper area of Taime, and then another glacier below broke.
CEO Pokharel also said, “Whether the rupture of the glacier lake was caused by ice or rocks falling from above or other reasons requires further study.”
He said he also discovered a different fact during his field trip. According to him, only four glaciers could be seen in the upper Taim region from satellite images. One of them was broken, leaving three. “However, when I went there, I saw all four glaciers, that is, there was a fifth glacier,” he said.
Dr. Arunbhakt Shrestha, a senior climate change expert at Isimud, said satellite images of the region are still to be studied. “We have not been able to see new pictures because of the clouds, I can only tell you after I see them,” he said, “but the process of breaking up and forming new glaciers in the Himalayas is very slow and is ongoing.”
Vasantraj Adhikari, director of the Disaster Research Center at the Institute of Engineering at Tribhuvan University in Purchok, also said that one of the reasons for Friday’s incident was the rising temperatures in the Himalayas, which is directly related to climate change. He further said, “Since the temperature rise in the Himalayas is abnormal, this is a situation that needs attention.”
Research on small and medium-sized glaciers is very necessary
Experts said Friday’s incident showed how much damage even a small glacier can cause and the need for extensive research on glaciers.
According to Isimud’s research, Nepal will have 3,623 glaciers by 2022. But the number of glaciers is increasing due to melting of mountain glaciers due to climate change, said Dr. Sudeep Thakuri, a climate change expert.
“A joint study conducted by Tribhuvan University and the Institute of Tibetan Plateau Research of the Chinese Academy of Sciences showed that the average area of Himalayan lakes has increased by 25% in 20 years,” said Thakuri, who is also an associate professor at Tribhuvan University. “This shows the impact of climate change and rising temperatures.”
Geologist Dr. Johannes Schmidt said officials now say on-site studies are necessary. So far, whatever studies have been done on the glacier have been based mainly on satellite images. “There has been no study of how the ground is everywhere, and Friday’s events show that research is needed,” he said.
He said Nepal’s glaciers were at high risk and a detailed study should be conducted on their impact on human settlements and structures.
Now that technology has been developed, when a lake erupts, how far will it fall? How much area will be destroyed can be predicted,” the official said, adding, “What is the flow rate of the water, how much will it be, what will be the impact on the river, all models can be done.” Therefore, he said that through joint research with universities, attention should be paid to the relocation or integrated development of settlements in the Himalayas.
Disaster Management Authority CEO Pokharel also agreed with the official. He said, “After figuring out how much damage and loss may occur, the focus should be on risk management, remedial measures and early warning systems.”
Some experts say such research and damage reduction efforts will be very expensive, so Nepal should raise the issue as a priority at world climate conferences like the COP.
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