A report highlights the alarming impact of climate change on the Himalayan mountain range, which is warming twice as fast as the global average. The rapid melting of glaciers and rising temperatures pose severe risks of avalanches, flash floods, and cloudbursts across the region, impacting countries like Nepal, Tibet, and India. Nepal alone has lost one-third of its ice cover over the last thirty years, with glaciers disappearing sixty-five percent faster between 2011 and 2020 compared to the previous decade. Out of Nepal’s more than two thousand glacial lakes, twenty-one are classified as extremely dangerous. The recent catastrophic flooding around Bhote Koshi highlights this threat, with experts suggesting an avalanche—rather than seismic activity—caused recorded tremors. Beyond natural factors, human activities such as unregulated construction and hydropower dams further weaken the fragile mountain slopes. The report serves as a critical warning for governments to ensure due diligence and address ecological vulnerabilities affecting interconnected river systems across South Asia.
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