UN Warns Millions of Himalayan Residents Face Severe Glacial Flood Risks

A senior UN official has warned that millions of residents in the Himalayan region are facing severe flood risks due to potential glacial lake outbursts, following massive floods in Nepal and China that have left more than 1,000 dead and some 4,400 missing.

Kanni Wignaraja, UN Assistant Secretary-General, said in an interview with Reuters on the 2nd (local time) that "the pace of technological advancement is too slow to prevent losses in this massive river system that receives the overflow of glacial lakes," adding that "the population at risk numbers in the millions."

The UN believes that climate change is accelerating the melting of glaciers in the Himalayas and loosening rocks, increasing pressure on natural barriers such as rocks and soil that hold back water in glacial lakes.

Consequently, the risk of glacial lakes bursting and causing floods is escalating.

A 2020 study identified 47 potentially dangerous glacial lakes across Nepal, China, and India, which make up the Himalayan region.

Estimates have also emerged suggesting that the number of dangerous glacial lakes is likely much higher than previously thought.

In fact, an analysis of satellite imagery conducted by Chinese authorities last year around Jilong Port in Jilong County, Xigaze, in China's Xizang (Tibet) Autonomous Region—an area hit hard by the recent massive floods—showed that the number of glacial lakes reached 55.

Wignaraja also pointed out that the Himalayan mountain terrain is relatively young by geological standards, making it more vulnerable to tectonic shifts and significantly increasing the likelihood that glacial lake barriers could suddenly collapse.

She noted that no country in the region relies on glaciers for both water supply and income as much as Nepal, placing the country in the face of "very difficult choices" right now.

For example, many residents living along riverbanks such as the Trishuli River, which suffered catastrophic damage from the recent floods, need to relocate to higher ground, but doing so may be financially unaffordable.

Nepal, which heavily relies on hydroelectric power, also lost about 10 percent of its nationwide power generation capacity due to damage to hydroelectric plants from the recent floods.

She stated that introducing new technologies could make the region's hydroelectric plants and power grids more resilient to floods.

However, she expressed concern that a massive flood like the recent one, dubbed a "Himalayan tsunami," would have overwhelmed most flood defense facilities such as dams, and that no construction work could have prevented it.

In response, the Nepali government has classified the massive floods as a disaster driven by climate change and has demanded compensation from the world's major greenhouse gas emitters.

Sisir Khanal, Nepal's Minister of Foreign Affairs, said in a recent local TV interview that "Nepal's greenhouse gas emissions are practically negligible, yet we are paying the ultimate price for a global crisis we did not cause," adding that the government has sent official letters to international partners claiming compensation for climate change.

(Photo: Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.