In 2011, I joined a team of scientists and engineers on a trek to Lake Imja, located at about 17,000 feet in Nepal’s Everest region. This expedition came to mind recently as I watched the northern district of Rasuwa struggle with the impact of permafrost weakened by warming, close to Nepal’s border with Tibet.
As glaciers recede, they leave indentations formed by their weight, which fill with meltwater, forming lakes that continue to grow. These lakes, like Lake Imja, did not exist in the mid-20th century. By 2011, Lake Imja became the fastest-growing among some 1,600 glacial lakes in Nepal. During our visit, its waters stretched for a mile and a half, held precariously by debris. An earthquake or pressure could unleash catastrophic floods affecting nearby Nepalese communities.
On August 26, a similar but different disaster struck above Rasuwa. A massive chunk of glacier, about the size of a large New York City building, broke off and plummeted almost 4,000 feet, causing a tsunami. The velocity melted ice, resulting in a deadly wave of ice, snow, water, rocks, and mud, destroying lives and infrastructure. Winds at hurricane force flattened trees.
Although safe now, similar events are likely to strike in Peru and other mountainous areas, including Nepal. Towers of ice and snow, weakened by rising global temperatures, will continue to pose threats. Our experience at Lake Imja left us focused on how to predict and mitigate such disasters.
Real-time sensors and satellite communication systems can alert communities downstream about sudden water releases. Gradually lowering water levels in risky glacial lakes might help, along with strengthening buildings and infrastructure. Lake Imja’s situation mirrors conditions in my own country.
In Peru, Lake Palcacocha in Huaraz Province poses similar risks, with 100,000 people living downstream. As the Andes warm, similar dangers as those faced by Nepal emerge. My role as the executive director of the Instituto Andino de Montaña involved convincing Huaraz city to implement an early warning system, which, after persistent efforts, was achieved. Yet, attempts to obtain commitment for engineering solutions to lower the lake’s level met with bureaucratic delays and misplaced priorities.
The local residents I work with have little faith in the government’s ability to shield them from these known risks. Being distant from Lima, these communities feel overlooked, with federal officials shifting responsibility to lower levels that lack the technical capacity for necessary engineering tasks.
The U.S. also faces this threat, experiencing glacial lake outburst floods regularly. In Alaska, Suicide Basin near the Mendenhall Glacier experiences annual outburst floods. A similar event occurred in Wyoming’s Wind River Mountains in 2003. Furthermore, melting glaciers release toxic metals into water supplies, representing a less visible yet significant threat.
When disaster strikes, there is often much public mourning. The energy and compassion should be redirected towards proactive measures to save lives.
Jorge Recharte Bullard, Ph.D., has led Instituto Andino de Montaña, the Mountain Institute’s Legacy Institution, since 2020. He previously served as the director of the Andean program of The Mountain Institute from 1997 to 2019.