4 days ago
Nepal Floods Warn India’s Mountain States About Himalayan Risks
A large piece of ice and rock appears to have broken away high in the Himalaya.
This happened near the border between Nepal, Tibet and China.
The falling material mixed with water, mud, rocks and sediment.
The mixture became a powerful flow moving down mountain rivers.
It passed through the Lhende Khola system and then into the Bhote Koshi and Trishuli river systems.
Villages, homes, roads and bridges were destroyed.
The event shows that danger in the Himalaya can cross political borders.
It also raises questions about whether mountain areas in India are ready for similar hazards.
On the morning of 26 August, ice and rock appear to have broken away near the Nepal-Tibet-China border.
Satellite imagery indicates a substantial collapse associated with the Langtang Lirung area.
Geological analysis points to failures involving both glacier material and underlying bedrock.
The resulting mixture of water, ice, mud, rock and sediment entered the Lhende Khola system.
The flow travelled through the Bhote Koshi and Trishuli river systems, destroying villages, homes, roads and bridges.
- Who
- Communities and infrastructure in Nepal’s Rasuwa district were affected.
- What
- A likely ice-and-rock collapse triggered a destructive flow of water, ice, mud, rock and sediment.
- Where
- The collapse occurred near the Nepal-Tibet-China border, in the Langtang Lirung area, with impacts downstream through the Lhende Khola, Bhote Koshi and Trishuli river systems.
- When
- The event occurred on the morning of 26 August; the year is not specified.
- Why
- The collapse appears to have involved glacier material and underlying bedrock, creating a powerful downstream flow.
Key facts
- Affected district
- Rasuwa district, Nepal
- Reported date
- Morning of 26 August; year not specified
- Likely source area
- Near the Nepal-Tibet-China border, associated with Langtang Lirung
- Material involved
- Ice, rock, glacier material, bedrock, water, mud and sediment
- Water systems
- Lhende Khola, Bhote Koshi and Trishuli
- Damage
- Villages, homes, roads and bridges were wiped out
Sources
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