Latest news with #GLOFs
India.com
6 days ago
- Climate
- India.com
India could trigger floods in Pakistan, weather department's alert create panic in Islamabad due to...; Here's what is happening
India could trigger floods in Pakistan, weather department's alert create panic in Islamabad due to...; Here's what is happening Tensions between India and Pakistan over river water sharing have flared up again. On Tuesday, Pakistan's weather department (PMD) warned that if India releases too much water from rivers that flow into Pakistan, it could lead to flooding in many areas. The warning comes at a time when heavy monsoon rains are expected, along with the risk of sudden floods caused by melting glaciers, known as Glacial Lake Outburst Floods (GLOFs). More rains on the horizon Khan noted that the current monsoon spell is likely to last until Friday, July 25, followed by another round of heavy showers towards the end of the month. This continued rainfall, especially in the northern regions, could raise water levels dangerously and increase the flood threat. 'Rain is steadily raising dam levels, and though things are under control, the danger hasn't passed. A new weather system is expected by month's end, and it may bring intense rainfall,' he warned. Melting glaciers, global crisis, Pakistan pays the price Despite contributing minimally to global carbon emissions, Pakistan remains one of the countries most vulnerable to climate change. Khan pointed to rising climate unpredictability, cloudbursts, and rapid glacier melt as growing threats. 'Pakistan's share in global pollution is negligible, yet we are among the worst-hit by climate shifts,' he said. 'Unusually heavy rainfall and rapidly melting glaciers are creating dangerous and unpredictable conditions.' With already strained resources and a fragile climate, Pakistan now braces for a critical few weeks—caught between nature's fury and geopolitical anxieties.
Arab News
22-07-2025
- Climate
- Arab News
Pakistan monsoon death toll hits 242, with at least 116 children among the dead
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan's meteorological department on Tuesday warned of glacier lake outburst floods (GLOFs), flash floods and landslides in the country's mountainous northern regions, as the national death toll from monsoon-related incidents climbed to 242, including at least 116 children. The warning comes amid ongoing heavy monsoon rains that have battered the country since late June, triggering urban flooding, house collapses and deadly flash floods. At least 21 people, including 12 children, died in the past 24 hours alone, according to Pakistan's National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), with many of the fatalities reported from drowning, building collapses and fast-moving floodwaters. The worst-hit province has been Punjab, Pakistan's most populous region, where at least 135 people have died. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) reported 56 fatalities, followed by 24 in Sindh, 16 in Balochistan, six in the federal capital of Islamabad, three in Gilgit-Baltistan (GB) and two in Azad Jammu and Kashmir. 'In continuation to the GLOF alert issued dated July 15, the wet spell is likely to continue and can affect KP and GB in the current week,' the Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) said in a public statement. 'The prevailing weather conditions increase the risk of GLOFs, flashfloods, and landslide events in vulnerable glaciated regions of GB and KP.' Glacier lake outburst floods, sudden discharges of water from glacial lakes, are a growing threat in Pakistan's north due to accelerated glacial melting driven by climate change. These floods can inundate entire valleys in minutes, destroying roads, homes and livelihoods. The PMD also warned of landslides and mudslides in areas such as Murree, Galliyat, Azad Kashmir, and Gilgit-Baltistan, cautioning that roads could be blocked and essential connectivity disrupted. Heavy rains are forecast to continue until July 25. CLIMATE CHANGE EFFECTS On Tuesday, urban flooding also hit the capital Islamabad, with viral videos showing cars swept away by torrents of water in Saidpur Village and the upscale Defense Housing Authority (DHA) neighborhood. One video widely circulated on social media showed a vehicle submerged in floodwater, with a man inside calling for help. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif expressed sorrow over reports of a father and daughter believed to have drowned in the DHA flooding and directed authorities to expedite rescue operations across flood-affected areas. The monsoon season typically brings 70 to 80 percent of South Asia's annual rainfall, arriving in June in India and slightly later in Pakistan. While vital for agriculture, the rains also wreak havoc in countries with fragile infrastructure, poor drainage and high vulnerability to climate shocks. Pakistan, home to more than 7,000 glaciers, is consistently ranked among the countries most at risk from climate change, despite contributing less than 1 percent to global greenhouse gas emissions. It has seen increasingly erratic weather patterns in recent years, including record-breaking heatwaves, droughts, and severe storms. In May, at least 32 people were killed in separate incidents of torrential rainfall and hailstorms across the country. In 2022, catastrophic floods caused by a combination of unprecedented monsoon rains and glacial melt submerged nearly a third of Pakistan, killing more than 1,700 people and displacing over 8 million. That disaster inflicted an estimated $30 billion in economic losses and prompted repeated UN calls for global climate reparations.
Daily Mail
16-07-2025
- Climate
- Daily Mail
How an outburst flood could wash out vulnerable American communities
As the US continues to deal with a summer full of devastating flash floods, scientists warn that something even worse could soon wash out vulnerable American communities. Flooded subway tunnels in New York City and deadly overflowing rivers in the Texas Hill Country were powerful examples of how destructive water can quickly become during extreme weather events. But scientists say an 'outburst flood' could deliver more destruction than 90 of the most powerful nuclear bombs in history. Officially known as glacial lake outburst floods (GLOFs), they're becoming increasingly common due to climate change , and millions of people, including thousands in the US, are in harm's way. GLOFs are not new, but the scale and frequency are rising fast. At the end of the last Ice Age, roughly 15,000 years ago, the Missoula Floods swept across the American Northwest, triggered by massive glacial lakes bursting through ice dams. This catastrophic event all started with a remote glacial lake quietly growing in size, swelling more than twelvefold as melting ice relentlessly fed it. However, after several decades, the water became too much. With immense pressure building behind a ridge, the lake exploded, unleashing a wall of water up to 60ft that roared down a valley, obliterating everything in its path. Each of the 400 individual floods during this event unleashed the energy of 4,500 megatons of TNT, nearly 100 times the force of the largest nuclear weapon ever detonated, Soviet Russia's 'Tsar Bomba.' Water roared at speeds of 65 miles per hour, carrying boulders the size of cars, reshaping the landscape and carving vast canyons that are still visible today. In 2023, India's Sikkim region suffered the deadliest GLOF in recent memory, when a glacial lake burst following years of steady melt, killing dozens and leaving hundreds homeless. Now, attention is turning to the US, where three states - Alaska, Washington and Wyoming - are facing growing threats. One Alaskan lake, ominously named [Death] Basin, has burst two years in a row, releasing a staggering 14.6billion gallons of water in each event. That's the equivalent of 22,000 Olympic swimming pools flooding downtown Juneau, turning streets into rivers and forcing residents to flee with pets in carriers. Floods beneath the basin have been recorded since 2011, but researchers are now alarmed at the rapid acceleration. A recent study found 106 out of 120 glacier-dammed lakes in Alaska have drained at least once since 1985, and new lakes are forming as the glaciers retreat. 'The danger is growing,' scientists warned. 'As ice-free basins fill with water, they eventually reach a breaking point. 'Pressure builds until the glacier can't hold, and the result is a sudden, violent flood downstream.' These floods, they say, are often unpredictable and have already caused significant loss of life and infrastructure worldwide. Washington State was once the site of the legendary Missoula Floods, and experts say history could repeat itself. All 47 glaciers currently monitored in the state are retreating, creating new lakes in unstable terrain. Back in 1947, a combination of rain and glacial melt triggered a GLOF from the Kautz Glacier, sending 1.4 billion tons of mud and debris surging six miles and carving a canyon 300 feet deep. Now, the northeastern region of the state is considered a GLOF hotspot, and scientists have called for more urgent monitoring. In 2025, a panel of glaciologists urged the installation of seismic sensors and real-time weather stations to detect potential bursts before they happen. Despite advances in modeling and hazard mapping, the team wrote in the science journal called Nature, 'These events continue to cause large-scale destruction due to weak policy enforcement, inadequate warning systems and poor community preparedness.' While not as high-risk as Alaska, Wyoming's Wind River Range and Absaroka Mountains have experienced multiple GLOFs, and the state remains on alert. In 2003, the Grasshopper Glacier released 3.2 million cubic meters of water, damaging nearby infrastructure. A study using NASA Landsat satellite data found 13 separate GLOFs between 1994 and 2007, and local records have identified at least 15 total outbursts around Mammoth Glacier alone. That's the highest concentration of GLOFs documented in the Rockies since the Ice Age-era Missoula Floods. 'Glacial retreat is exposing new terrain where meltwater can accumulate,' scientists wrote. 'Eventually, these lakes become unstable, and when they go, they go fast.'
Gulf Today
15-07-2025
- Science
- Gulf Today
Expanding and melting glacial lakes pose huge dangers
Glacial lakes and water bodies across the Himalayan region have expanded by 11% since 2011, according to a report by India's Central Water Commission (CWC). The report, highlighted in an India Today (IT) analysis, underscores the growing risk of Glacial Lake Outburst Floods (GLOFs) as climate change accelerates glacial melting and lake expansion largely driven by global warming. Another IT report presents startling facts that melting glaciers are creating huge lakes in Himalayas and could burst anytime. This is according to satellite analyses by Suhora Technologies, which monitors 33,000 lakes across the Indus, Ganga, and Brahmaputra basins, confirm accelerated growth in high-altitude lakes due to rapid glacier melt. Studies reveal that glacial lakes in the Hindu Kush-Karakoram-Himalaya region – home to the world's largest ice reserves outside the poles – have grown by over 10% in area since 1990, with the Ganga basin witnessing a 22% surge in lake numbers. Rising global temperatures have pushed lake formation to elevations above 5500 meters, reflecting glacier retreat to higher altitudes. Over 76% of Himalayan glacial lakes are end-moraine-dammed, a fragile structure prone to breaches. A new study with ETH Zurich, published in the journal Science, finds that if global warming exceeds the Paris Climate Agreement targets, the non-polar glacier mass will diminish significantly, as per an ETHZ press release. Even if global temperatures were stabilised at today's level of 1.2°C, an estimated 39 per cent of global glacier mass would still be lost compared to 2020 levels – contributing over 10 centimetres to global sea-level rise. The study states that, however, if warming is limited to 1.5°C, at least 54% could be preserved — more than twice as much ice as in a 2.7°C scenario. Even if the rise in global temperatures were to stabilise at its current level, it is projected that the world would lose around 40% of its glaciers. If global warming can be limited to +1.5 °C, it may be possible to preserve twice as much glacier ice (54%) as in a scenario where temperatures rise by +2.7 °C (only 24%). For the study, an international team of 21 scientists from 10 countries used eight glacier models to calculate the potential ice loss from more than 200,000 glaciers outside Greenland and Antarctica. The team evaluated a wide range of global temperature scenarios, assuming that temperatures would remain constant for thousands of years in each scenario. In all scenarios, the glaciers lose mass rapidly over decades and then continue to melt at a slower pace for centuries – even without additional warming. This long-term response means glaciers will continue to feel the effects of today's heat far into the future, gradually retreating to higher altitudes before reaching a new equilibrium. Melting glaciers reveal the reality of global warming, the study says. And, beyond contributing to sea-level rise, glacier loss has far-reaching consequences. It threatens freshwater availability, increases the risk of glacier-related hazards such as floods and landslides, and jeopardizes glacier-fed tourism economies. These cascading impacts will be felt across regions and generations. While other studies have limited to the year 2100 estimate that around 20% of today's glacier mass will be lost regardless of future warming, the new study reveals that nearly twice as much would vanish under present-day conditions when multi-centennial timescales are considered. The IT analysis points out that in India the CWC began monitoring glacial lakes in 2009 to enhance assessment and preparedness strategies. In its 2011 inventory, the CWC recorded 2028 glacial lakes and water bodies larger than 10 hectares. Since then, using advanced tools like remote sensing, satellite imagery, and cloud platforms, the CWC has prioritised monitoring 902 critical water bodies. This latest report from September 2024 reveals a 10.81% area increase in 544 glacial lakes and 358 water bodies over the past decade. While China shows the highest rate, similar trends in India show that 67 lakes have grown significantly. The analysis also underscores recent data from the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) highlights the growing threat of GLOFs. ICIMOD's analysis shows that over 70% of the 700 recorded GLOFs events since 1833 have occurred in the last 50 years, illustrating the accelerating impact of climate change on glacial stability.
The Hindu
11-07-2025
- Climate
- The Hindu
Flood without rain in Nepal raises concerns about Glacial Lake Outbursts
There were no rain forecasts, so no warning alert as such. But early Tuesday, massive floods on the Bhotekoshi river in Rasuwa, a district bordering China, killed at least nine people and left 19 missing. Nepal's police and Army personnel carried out search and rescue operations throughout Tuesday, as authorities assessed the extent of the damage. The floods also swept away the Nepal-China Friendship Bridge, disconnecting one of the key trade points between Nepal and China. Among the missing are 11 Nepalese, six Chinese, and two police personnel. Officials and scientists, meanwhile, scrambled to find the cause of the flooding that occurred without rain. 'It is certain by now that it was not a rain-induced flooding,' said Binod Pokhrel, an associate professor at the Central Department of Hydrology and Meteorology at Tribhuvan University. 'Weather forecasts and satellite data showed no rainfall in the Tibet region.' Nepal's mountainous terrain is vulnerable to monsoon floods that kill scores of people and damage property every year. While government authorities have been working on early warning systems, they have not been as effective as desired. Erratic rainfall, floods, landslides, and avalanches have become more frequent — and deadlier — in recent years, due in part to changing climate patterns, which are increasingly causing GLOFs (Glacial Lake Outburst Floods). In an inventory prepared in 2020 by the Integrated Centre for Mountain Development (ICIMOD), of the more than 3,000 glacial lakes in Nepal, Tibet, and India, 47 were identified as potentially dangerous. Cause unclear After the Rasuwa flooding, the ICIMOD said in a statement that it is too early to definitively determine the exact cause of the flood event. 'However, we can confirm that extreme rainfall was not the cause. A comprehensive investigation is required, but we need to wait for the monsoon cloud cover to clear first to obtain clear satellite imagery for detailed analysis,' it said. 'While a GLOF or a Landslide Lake Outburst Flood is suspected, there is no conclusive evidence yet.' ICIMOD's 2021 inventory shows that one glacial lake upstream of the Trishuli River in the Tibetan Autonomous Region of China is categorised as high risk and needs close monitoring. According to a recent ICIMOD study, the size of glacial lakes in the upper basin increased by 33%, and their number by 16%, within three decades from 1990 to 2020. Ngamindra Dahal, a water and climate analyst, says Nepal needs to adopt a multi-scale approach to mitigate the disasters it is facing, especially in the northern region. 'Rasuwa floods should not be viewed in isolation. I call them synchronised events, given similar flood events in the past in the northern region,' he said. He stressed the need for a study based on local patterns in order to forecast — and respond to — such disasters. 'Haphazard construction, including that of hydropower projects, can have cascading effects, resulting in floods.' Mr. Dahal has been calling for a new approach to studying Nepal's Himalayas by incorporating organic data and understanding. 'Authorities are not only ignoring local patterns; they are undermining science as well,' he said. 'Their refusal to assimilate local knowledge and Nepali scientists — and their overreliance on those who may lack an exact understanding of the locality — is not helping either.' Information-sharing issues The surprise floods have also raised questions about whether there was any prior information from the Chinese side. Officials said that a few weeks ago, China had issued a notice to exercise caution along the riverbanks of rivers originating in Tibet. But since there was no forecast for rain, the occurrence of floods, according to experts, raises suspicions that something unusual may have happened. Mr. Pokhrel says it is not possible to forecast rainfall that leads to flooding days in advance. 'When such a notice was issued back then, and now floods have occurred, it raises the suspicion that this might have resulted from some kind of incident or accident,' he said Nepal's Department of Hydrology and Meteorology, which forecasts floods and rains, also says there is no established mechanism for information sharing on floods and rains from the northern side. Mr. Dahal says Nepali authorities are also to blame, given the failure to recognise extreme weather events and work on preparedness measures. Economic impact Authorities said that besides the bridge linking Nepal and China being swept away, at least 24 container trucks with goods and 35 electric vehicles were also washed away. A customs port in Rasuwa and a hydropower project dam also suffered damage. With the linking bridge gone, trade through the Rasuwa border point — Nepal's second major trade point with China — has come to a complete halt. This route, officially opened in December 2014, was upgraded to an international checkpoint in 2017, allowing cross-border travel. The border point, however, remained inoperable for three years as China decided to close it due to COVID-19 restrictions, before it was reopened in April 2023. Records at the Department of Customs show that 30–40 fully loaded cargo containers were entering Nepal via the Rasuwa border point until Monday. Rains, floods, and landslides during the monsoon, which begins in June and lasts until September, are a major killer in Nepal, with 31 reported dead as of July 1 this year. In recent years, extreme weather events have been increasingly reported in the mountain regions, which is concerning due to the lack of quick response mechanisms compared to the plains. Mr. Dahal says that while the monsoon is climbing to higher altitudes, rising temperatures are causing ice to melt faster. Studies suggest the Himalaya is melting twice as fast as the global average. 'Chances are that the glaciers underneath could have melted suddenly due to rising temperatures, causing the early Tuesday floods in Rasuwa,' said Mr. Dahal. 'More comprehensive studies are required urgently before it's too late.' (Sanjeev Satgainya is an independent journalist based in Kathmandu)
