Nepalis Fear More Floods as Climate Change Melts Glaciers

AFP/APP

Kathmandu: Mingma Rita Sherpa was not home when a muddy torrent unexpectedly swept into his village in Nepal, leaving him unable to recognize his once-beautiful settlement.

The freezing floodwaters engulfed Thame, nestled in the foothills of Mount Everest, in mere moments, a disaster that climate change scientists warn may be indicative of a troubling future for the Himalayan nation.

“There is no trace of our house… nothing is left,” Sherpa lamented. “It took everything we owned.”

Nepal is grappling with its worst flooding in decades, driven by relentless monsoon rains that have swollen rivers and inundated entire neighborhoods in the capital, Kathmandu, claiming at least 236 lives. Last weekend’s catastrophe was just the latest in a series of devastating floods to hit the country this year.

Thame was submerged in August when a glacial lake burst high in the mountains above the village, which is renowned for its mountaineering residents and was once home to Tenzing Norgay Sherpa, the first person to summit Mount Everest alongside New Zealander Edmund Hillary.

“We are afraid to return; there are still lakes above,” Sherpa stated. “The fertile land is gone. It is hard to see a future there,” he added from Kathmandu, where he has since relocated.

A glacial lake outburst flood (GLOF) occurs when water collected in former glacier beds is suddenly released.

These lakes form as glaciers retreat, a process accelerated by human-caused climate change, which has sped up the melting of these icy reservoirs. Glacial lakes are often unstable, dammed by ice or loose debris.

‘Rebuild or relocate’

Thame, perched at an altitude of 3,800 meters (12,470 feet) beneath soaring snow-capped peaks, was a popular stop for trekkers. However, during the monsoon rains in August, the village was largely deserted. Though no one was killed, the flood destroyed half of the village’s 54 homes, a clinic, a hostel, and a school established by Hillary.

Sherpa, like many others in the village, operated a lodge for foreign trekkers and worked as a technician at a local hydropower plant, a crucial electricity source for the region, which also sustained damage.

“Some are trying to rebuild, but the land is not stable,” he remarked. “Parts continue to erode.” The residents of Thame are now scattered, with some seeking shelter in neighboring villages and others moving to Kathmandu.

Local official Mingma Chiri Sherpa stated that authorities are surveying the area to assess risks. “Our focus right now is to aid the survivors,” he noted. “We are working to help the residents rebuild or relocate.”

‘Predict and prepare’

Experts assert that the flood in Thame is part of a disturbing trend, with glaciers receding at an alarming rate. Hundreds of glacial lakes formed from melting ice have emerged in recent decades.

In 2020, experts from the Kathmandu-based International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) mapped over 2,000 glacial lakes in Nepal, identifying 21 as potentially dangerous.

Nepal has previously drained lakes and plans to drain at least four more. ICIMOD geologist Sudan Bikash Maharjan analyzed satellite images of the Thame flood, concluding that it was indeed a glacial lake outburst.

“We need to strengthen our monitoring… so that we can, at least to some extent, predict and prepare,” he stated. “The risks are there… so our mountain communities must be made aware so they can be prepared.”

Scientists caution of a two-stage impact: initially, melting glaciers trigger destructive floods, and eventually, the glaciers will dry up, posing even greater threats.

Glaciers in the broader Himalayan and Hindu Kush ranges provide vital water for around 240 million people living in mountainous regions, while another 1.65 billion rely on them in the river valleys of South Asia and Southeast Asia.

‘Himalayas have changed’

Former residents of Thame are raising funds, including Kami Rita Sherpa, who ascended Everest for a record 30th time this year. Kami Rita remarked that the locale had long been a source of pride as a “village of mountaineers,” but the landscape has drastically changed.

“The place has no future now,” he said. “We are living at risk — not just Thame; other villages downhill also need to be alert.”

The veteran mountaineer expressed concern for the mountains he cherishes. “The Himalayas have changed,” he lamented. “We have now not only seen the impact of climate change but experienced its dangerous consequences too.”