KATHMANDU, Aug 26: The main cause of Wednesday’s flood in Rasuwa may have been the outburst of a glacial lake in Tibet, around 26 kilometers north of the Nepal-China border, meteorologist Ujwal Upadhyay has estimated.
According to Upadhyay, at least one of three glacial lakes in the Tibetan region could have burst. However, the actual cause will only be confirmed after further study and analysis of satellite data.
Flood in Rasuwa caused by glacial lake outburst
He said a landslide may have temporarily blocked the river, forming a natural dam. A subsequent glacial lake outburst could then have released a large volume of water and debris, possibly making the flood more destructive as it swept away the temporary dam downstream.
Upadhyay said further details will become clearer after satellite imagery and other geographic data are analyzed.
He warned that the risk in downstream areas remains, as the temporary landslide dam may not have completely collapsed and large amounts of water and debris could still be trapped upstream.
He also noted that numerous glacial lakes exist across the Himalayan region of Nepal and Tibet, and rising temperatures are increasing the risk of glacial lake outburst floods. He stressed the need for long-term identification and monitoring of high-risk glacial lakes and stronger early-warning systems.
