Protecting lives and assets at risks from climate-change induced floods
by Prakriti GC, Project Support UNV Officer, Resilience and Environment Pillar, UNDP
“We are people whose life belongs to risky glacial lakes located in our district which can brust any time soon.” I was touched by these words of Mr. Chandra Ghale, Chairperson of Nasong Rural Municipality where Thulagi glacial Lake is located. Last month, I had an opportunity to have a conversation with communities living in the downstream of some of the glacial lakes, which made me realise how full of risk is life for the people who are living in the Himalayas. Working at UNDP with climate experts and locals, I realised addressing climate vulnerabilities, particularly the risks emanating from the rapid meltdown of the glaciers is a highly complex issue, one that requires cross-country and global cooperation.
Nepal is one of the most climate vulnerable countries given its fragile topography composed of high mountains, hills and plains that are highly sensitive to slightest changes in temperatures and rain patterns. Most notably, glaciers and glacial lakes are highly sensitive to climate change, a global phenomenon that calls for global action. Recent climate data shows that Nepal is witnessing an increasing trend of extreme weather events. Nepals’ temperature increment is higher than the global average and the number and size of glacier lakes are increasing, leading to an increased risk of Glacial Lakes Outburst Floods (GLOF). The country has already experienced devastating GLOF events, while some have originated within its own territory, others in the Tibet Autonomous Region of the People’s Republic of China.
It is dangerous to have a large volume of water reserved in these glacial lakes due to its fragile moraine, which could collapse in case of any seismic activity leading to sudden release of water downstream. This is what we call a GLOF event. In the past few years, several GLOF events have been recorded globally as well as in Nepal.
During my recent interaction with the people who are living downstream of major glacial lakes, I heard them elaborate what it means for them to live under constant fear. It means the peopel there cannot invest in any infrastructure or businesses with confidence, according to Mr. Sagar Kirati, Chairperson Mahakulung, Chamlang North Lake.
Recent studies of UNDP and ICIMOD showed that there are 47 potentially dangerous lakes in Nepal, Tibet Autonomous Region of the People’s Republic of China, and India which may impact the downstream communities in Nepal. Among them, majority of the lakes are in Koshi Basin, such as Lumding Tsho, Lower Barun and Hongu 2 (Seti Pokhari), among others. There are some critical lakes in Gandaki Basin, and Thulagi (Dona) is one of them. According to a study “Status of GLOF in Nepal” carried out by Bajracharya in 2009, if the GLOF occurs in Thulagi, more than US$400 million will be lost.
Developing countries like Nepal do not have advanced technology and enough funds to invest in huge projects to address these climate vulnerabilities. Being a climate vulnerable country, adopting appropriate measures for the protection of lives and assets is an urgent need for the country. In Nepal, UNDP works together with the Government, international development partners and private sector to mainstream climate change adaptation and manage climate risks through support for adaptation planning, reducing flood and glacial lake outburst risk and strengthening governance of climate finance.
UNDP is collaborating with the Government of Nepal to access the Green Climate Fund and is formulating a project proposal on “Protecting Livelihoods and Assets at Risk from Climate Change Induced Flooding in Glaciated River Basins of Nepal”. The GCF funding project will have many interventions in Koshi and Gandaki through the institutions strengthened to deliver climate risk information, monitoring, and early warning services to local populations and productive sectors of the economy. The project aims to develop GLOF and flood risk reduction strategies at the watershed level.
The proposed GCF funding project will be implemented in Province 1 (Koshi basin) and Gandaki Province (Gandaki basin) to lower the risk of GLOF of four major glacial lakes namely, Lumding Tsho (Solukhumbu), Hongu 2- Seti Pokhari (Solukhumbu), Lower Barun (Sankhuwasabha) and Dona /Thulagi (Manang). The proposed project will help reducing the risk to save the vulnerable people around the Lake and I am very glad to contribute my time and energy to the beneficiaries, as we know this project aims to safeguard the lives and livelihoods of tentatively above 400,000 people in the Gandaki and Koshi from the climate-induced threat of GLOFs and related hazards.
Nepal has a large number of glacial lakes and only a few have been studied. I would take this opportunity to recommend conducting more detailed field surveys of the lakes and downstream areas which need to be incorporated for better prediction of GLOF events as we know this can cause loss of life and properties in downstream communities. While obviously, there is no quick fix to climate vulnerabilities, I believe, with our partnership with the GCF, the government, and local communities, we will be able to protect the livelihoods and assets at risks from climate change-induced floods.
