fitri-handayani
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A catastrophic glacier collapse in Nepal has left hundreds dead and thousands displaced, with scientists attributing the disaster to decades of environmental degradation and rapid climate change. The incident, which unfolded this week, saw a portion of the Langtang Lirung mountain, located on the Nepal-Tibet border, give way, taking a section of the glacier with it.
The resulting debris flow, a mixture of ice, rock, and mud, barreled down the Lhende Khola river, picking up additional sediment and water along the way. By the time it surged into Nepal's Rasuwa, Nuwakot, and Dhading districts, the flow had grown significantly, causing widespread destruction and loss of life.
The Red Cross reported that over 90,000 people were directly affected by the disaster, with many in urgent need of assistance. Officials are bracing for the possibility of further flooding as the crisis continues to unfold.
The sudden collapse of the mountain and glacier has sparked a broader concern: Are the Himalayas, home to some of the world's highest peaks, becoming an increasingly dangerous place to live? The disaster is not the first of its kind in the region, with a flood in July of last year killing nine people and washing away a border bridge, and a devastating avalanche during Nepal's 2015 earthquake further damaging the Langtang region.
Experts attribute the increased frequency of such disasters to the rapid warming of the region's mountains. Research led by Bethan Davies, chair in glaciology at Newcastle University, shows that land above 4,000 meters in the Langtang catchment has warmed at roughly five times the global average since the 1960s, with the warming trend intensifying over the past decade.
One of the primary reasons for this rapid warming is the melting of snow and ice, which exposes darker rock beneath the surface. This darker rock absorbs more heat from the sun, further accelerating the warming of the mountains. Across the wider Himalayan region, the rate of ice loss from glaciers has doubled since 2000, according to Ella Gilbert, a climate scientist at the British Antarctic Survey.
"We know that climate heating is destabilizing glaciers in the Himalaya," Gilbert said. "When glacier stability is undermined, sudden failures can occur, leading to horrible incidents like this one."
Another contributing factor is the thawing of permafrost, which normally stays frozen year-round and helps hold steep mountainsides together. As the ground warms and the permafrost melts, these slopes become increasingly unstable.
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change has said with high confidence that declining glaciers, snow, and permafrost are already destabilizing mountain regions worldwide, and that events like the recent Nepal glacier collapse are likely to become more frequent as the climate continues to warm.
However, experts are not yet directly connecting this disaster to climate change. "We don't know exactly what happened here," Dr. Gilbert said, "but it's likely that some combination of these factors was at play, and we know that all of these are enhanced by climate change."
The disaster has also raised questions about preparedness and response in the region. While some communities had time to escape, others were caught off guard, highlighting the need for improved early warning systems and emergency response plans.
"This tragedy underscores the urgent need for a coordinated and comprehensive approach to mitigate the risks posed by climate change and natural disasters in the Himalayas," said Hannah Cloke, professor of meteorology. "The time to act is now, before more lives are lost."
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