Saving The World

As activists renew their pledge to create a safer planet, scientists identify dozens of Himalayan glaciers that could collapse soon

By KESHAB POUDEL

As the country prepared to join the global community in observing Earth Day, a team of experts revealed that more than 20 glacial lakes in the Nepalese Himalayas are under threat of devastating collapse because of a rise in temperatures. The United Nations Environmental Program (UNEP) has identified 44 newly formed lakes ó 24 in Nepal and 20 in Bhutan ó that could collapse in the next five years.

Scientists with the UNEP and the International Center for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) say the lakes are filling up because rising temperatures are melting the surrounding glaciers and snowfields that feed them. According to an estimate, the temperature in the Himalayan region grew at an average of 1-degree Celsius over the last decade. "Because of rising temperature, there is a possibility of glacier outbursts in many places," Madhav Mull, a glacier expert associated with ICIMOD, told BBC Nepali service.

A glacier lake is defined as a kind of a pond that originated from a glacier and exists usually at the end (terminus) of a glacier. Almost all glacier lakes in the Himalayas are embanked by lateral and lateral end moraines deposited during past glacier activity in the neo-glaciations period between 15th and 19th centuries, embank end moraines deposited during past glacier lakes in the Himalayas. In the process of a glacier retreating, the ice tends to melt in the lowest part of the glacier surrounded by lateral and end moraines and a pond are made up of the melted water.

There are many unstable lakes in the Himalayas, which formed by the advancing and retreating processes of glaciers. When the lake bursts, it releases a huge amount of stored water, causing serious flooding.

Floods caused by the outburst of glacier lakes are not new in Nepal, as Glacial Lake Outburst Floods (GLOF) has repeatedly occurred for the past hundreds of years in the Himalayas. If global warming continues continues at its current rate, a large number of Nepal's glacier lake will burst.

People in the United States first marked Earth Day in 1970, calling for a response to the environmental hazards that seemed to be erupting at every turn. The day is observed annually following the realization that earth is not only made up of humans but also rivers, rock, animals, air and other elements.

At a time when Nepal is struggling to ensure the sustainable use of natural resources, a group of experts discussed the vulnerability and challenges faced by the country. At a program organized by the American Center, speakers highlighted the theme of sustainable use of natural resources and partnership for development.

"Because in the rise of temperature, Nepal's glacier lakes are under threat, on which the country's whole water resources depends upon," said Mandira Singh, water resources specialist at ICIMOD. "Our recent studies have also revealed such things."

The collapse of the glacier lakes will also hamper the overall situation of South Asia, as Nepal's glacier supplies more than 50 percent of the water in the Ganges river during the dry season. If something drastically changes in the Nepalese Himalayas, it will affect the entire South Asian region.

Realizing the importance of environmental sustainability for poverty alleviation in South Asia, the US State Department established the Kathmandu Regional Environment Office in 1997 to work with the countries of the region, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, the Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.

Nepal has made important progress in preserving forests over the last decade by mobilizing local communities. As Nepal's natural resources are very important to maintaining the region's environmental balance, everybody is concerned with environmental problems in the region. As forest and other natural resources are gradually being degraded, the 32nd Earth Day — which coincided with the UN-declared International Year of the Mountains — provided a vivid reminder of the urgency of collective action.