Nepal:Glacier area and volume in Himalayan region is declining

In Nepal, the latest report on climate change has revealed that the area and volume of glaciers in the Himalayan region is declining. Transparency International Nepal in collaboration with other organizations conducted the research and the report was made public in Kathmandu. The researchers looked into the impact of climate change on water resources in Nepal's mountainous region and in the lower coastal regions. The latest study has revealed the findings of an earlier study report that the area of glaciers in Nepal decreased by about 24 percent from 1977 to 2010. It also revealed that the height of the Imja and Lhotse glaciers in the Khumbu region of Nepal decreased from 1970 to 2007.
The risk of flooding caused by glacial bursting has also increased. In Koshi, Gandaki and Karnali watershed, 47 potentially dangerous glacial lakes have been identified. Of these, 21 are in the high mountainous region of Nepal, 25 in Tibet and one in India. The study has also brought out the fact that 35 glaciers have burst from the Nepal mountain range so far. Coordinator of the study task force Mohan Bahadur Chand said that the lake burst in Kanchenjunga area in 1963 was confirmed by the local elders during the on-site study. Yet, there is no record of it and the issue was not even reported in the media.