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The Independent
4 days ago
- The Independent
A ‘Himalayan tsunami' has just devastated Nepal. It should be a wake-up call
Up until a disastrous day earlier this month, more than 150 trucks crossed daily over a border bridge between Nepal and China. Known by locals as the Miteri Pul (Friendship Bridge), the Rasuwagadhi crossing served as the main trade route between the two countries, with over $50m of goods passing over it last year alone. But on the 8 July, floodwaters tore through northern Nepal's Rasuwa district, sweeping away parts of this critical border highway. According to the National Disaster Risk Reduction & Management Authority, seven people lost their lives, and 20 were missing, including six Chinese nationals. The Chinese nationals were working on a 200 megawatt hydro project in the Tirsuli River, which was also damaged by the floods. Initial estimates suggest Nepal has sustained losses of over $100m in the incident as a whole. Mina Poudel, a hotel owner near the Nepal–China checkpoint, says she was jolted awake at 2am by violent tremors. "Thinking it was an earthquake, we suddenly got up and ran out of the house," she told The Independent by phone. "Everyone was shouting. Then from a safe distance, we saw water rising in the Bhotekoshi. That's when we knew it was a flood." By 4am, she said, the torrent had swept away a Chinese workers' camp and a cargo vehicle. Her hotel, once serving more than 70 customers daily, now stands empty. "The border is closed. The businesspeople are gone. So are the tourists." Scientists have determined that the cause was an outburst from a glacial lake. According to Jakob Steiner, a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Graz (Austria), and Amrit Thapa, a PhD student at the University of Alaska Fairbanks, the glacial lake had formed in March, approximately 35km upstream from the border inside Chinese territory. Their research shows that ponds of liquid water sitting on top of the glacier began growing from March, then suddenly started expanding rapidly in June. All the ponds coalesced into a single, massive lake measuring 638 square km by 7 July, before bursting out into the valley below, draining a third of the lake's area in just 24 hours. Glacial lake outburst floods (GLOFs) have become increasingly common in Nepal, driven by rapid warming in the Himalayas. Nepal's Department of Hydrology and Meteorology reports that temperatures in the Himalayan region have increased by 0.42C per decade between 2008 and 2018 – nearly double the global average. glaciers between 1977 and 2010, according to researchers, contributing to a substantial decline in freshwater reserves in the Himalayas. In the Himalayan region, the number of glacial lakes and their area are rapidly increasing. A study by ICIMOD found that the number of glacial lakes in Nepal increased by 154 per cent between 1977 and 2017, while their total area expanded by about 46 per cent. Nepal currently shares more than 1,500km of mountainous border with China, and many of its rivers, including the Bhotekoshi, originate in Tibet. A 2020 survey by ICIMOD and the UN Development Programme identified 3,624 glacial lakes across the region's three river basins. Of these, 47 were found to be at high risk of bursting, with 25 located in Tibet. One of the most dangerous is Thulagi Lake in Manang District, which holds an estimated 36 million cubic metres of water. If it were to burst, the resulting flood could impact over 160,000 people downstream and cause damage estimated at $415m. Basanta Raj Adhikari, assistant professor of engineering geology and disaster risk reduction at the Department of Civil Engineering, Pulchowk Campus, Institute of Engineering, Tribhuvan University, said that the Rasuwagadhi flood was neither the first nor the last. He warned that Nepal will face more major GLOFs in the future, resulting in significant losses. 'The increasing global temperature has a direct effect on the Himalayas, where the formation of glacial lakes [has been] increasing in recent years,' he said. 'These glacial lakes might turn into GLOFs in changing conditions, as we are witnessing.' Over the past five years, Nepal has faced repeated incidents of severe floods originating from the Himalayan region, causing significant damage and disruption. In May 2025, a glacial lake outburst occurred near the Limi Valley in Humla district, in western Nepal near the China border. According to Shiva Baskota, senior geologist at the Department of Mines and Geology, three glacial ponds located at an altitude of 4,400 metres melted. The water flowed out rapidly, triggering a flood. As a result, more than 20 families were displaced from their homes. On 16 August 2024, a similar flood hit the popular tourist village of Thame, which was caused by another glacial lake burst. Two lakes overflowed, and the water rushed nearly 10 kilometres downhill, striking the village that has been home to legendary Sherpa climbers like Tenzing Norgay. The flood destroyed 23 homes and damaged 40 more, according to Khumbu Pasang Lhamu Rural Municipality. In 2021, a glacial lake collapsed near the Tibetan border in Sindhupalchok district. This event claimed 24 lives and caused damage worth about $905m, including the destruction of 570 homes, according to Nepal's National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority. In 2016, Gongbatongshacuo Lake in Tibet burst, sending a massive flood down the Bhote Koshi River in northern Sindhupalchok. The flood swept away 20 houses, a boarding school, and part of a customs office. It also damaged many buildings, a hydropower plant, and roads, including a major highway connecting Nepal and China. Ranjan Kumar Dahal, an engineering geologist at Tribhuvan University in Nepal, said that the latest devastating event should raise 'serious concerns' and serve as a reminder that 'Himalayan tsunamis' are becoming more frequent and intense, and they are not going to stop anytime soon. Pema Gyamtsho, director general of ICIMOD, said that it was an absolute certainty that global temperature rises are driving increases in the frequency, ferocity, and complexity of mountain hazards. 'In June alone, three lake outbursts have torn through our region, on top of horrific floods in India and Pakistan; tragically confirming our Monsoon Outlook's predictions of a high-hazard summer.'
India Today
11-07-2025
- Climate
- India Today
Deadly flood in Nepal was triggered by Tibetan glacial lake outburst
The deadly flood in Nepal'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, a regional climate monitoring body said on least 19 people, including six Chinese workers at the Beijing-aided Inland Container Depot, remain missing in Nepal after Tuesday's floods that also washed away the 'Friendship Bridge' that links Nepal and official Xinhua news agency has said 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 satellite imagery showed the flood originated from the draining of the lake north of Nepal's Langtang Himal range. A general view shows a landslide-affected area, following heavy rains in Lalitpur district on the outskirts of Kathmandu. (Photo: AFP) "This is based on the preliminary analysis based on the available satellite images," Sudan Maharjan, a remote sensing analyst and expert of glaciers at ICIMOD, told Reuters.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 Sanyal, another ICIMOD official, said such events were increasing at an "unprecedented" pace in the Hindu Kush mountains that 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 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 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.- Ends
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)
NDTV
10-07-2025
- Climate
- NDTV
Tibetan Glacial Lake Drainage Sparked Deadly Nepal Flood: Climate Body
The deadly flood in Nepal'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 on Wednesday. At least 19 people, including six Chinese workers at the Beijing-aided Inland Container Depot, remain 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 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 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 based on the available satellite images," Sudan Maharjan, a remote sensing analyst and expert of glaciers at ICIMOD, told Reuters. 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 that 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.
The Star
10-07-2025
- Climate
- The Star
Tibetan glacial lake drainage triggered deadly flood in Nepal, climate body says
A member of the Nepalese army airlifts people stranded during the flood at Bhotekoshi river, Nepal, July 8, 2025. -Nepal Army/Handout via Reuters KATHMANDU: The deadly flood in Nepal'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 on Wednesday (July 9). At least 19 people, including six Chinese workers at the Beijing-aided Inland Container Depot, remain 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 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 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 based on the available satellite images," Sudan Maharjan, a remote sensing analyst and expert of glaciers at ICIMOD, told Reuters. 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 that 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
