“It took everything we had.”

In late September, the town of Thame in eastern Nepal, located in the shadow of Mount Everest, was hit by devastating floods. This is the second time in as many months that people in Nepal have had to endure catastrophic flooding.

What’s happening?

In August, Thame was flooded after a glacial lake burst high in the nearby mountains above the town. Glacial Lake Tianbo rushed down the mountainside, sweeping away a small village. According to International Center for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD), the flood destroyed 14 properties, including a school, a health center, seven houses and five hotels.

Just over six weeks later, Nepal suffered another flood, with brutal monsoon rains causing the country’s worst flooding in years. The disaster killed at least 236 people in Kathmandu, the capital, as entire neighborhoods were flooded.

“There is no trace left of our house… nothing remains,” said resident and local official Mingma Chiri Sherpa, according to Physics.org. “He took everything we had.”

Why is glacial lake outburst flooding important?

The August flood in Thame, the village home to several famous Everest climbers, highlights the overheating of our planet. growing risk Glacial lake outburst floods (GLOFs).

Several glacial lakes loom further up the Thame. Satellite images from the European Space Agency’s Copernicus Earth observation program in 2017 show that these lakes have changed in size. Some lakes contract and expand frequently, making them especially vulnerable to outbursts.

According to a study published in the scientific journal Nature Communications, GLOFs threaten millions of people around the world. “Continuing ice loss and expansion of glacial lakes due to climate changeIt therefore represents a global natural hazard that requires urgent attention if future loss of life from GLOF is to be minimized,” the study said. marked.

What is being done to combat the growing risk of flooding caused by glacial lake outbursts?

ICIMOD’s mitigation measures for glacial lake outbursts include reducing water levels through pumping or pumping and through controlled outbursts. ICIMOD also emphasizes the importance of monitoring glacial lakes and implementing early warning systems when signs of potential flooding are detected.

Heat-trapping gases in our atmosphere increase the risk of glacial lake outbursts. Recently published report notes that in our warming world, the height of glaciers has decreased and the melting of glaciers has increased. Reducing carbon pollution from dirty energy sources are required.

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