KATHMANDU: A new report has recognized 47 potentially dangerous glacial lakes (PDGLs) within the Koshi, Gandaki, and Karnali river basins of Nepal, the Tibet Autonomous Region of China, and India.
The report states that of the 47 PDGLS identified, 42 are located in the Koshi basin, three in the Gandaki basin, and two lakes in the Karnali basin.
According to the report readied by International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) and the United National Development Program (UNDP), with respect to political boundaries, 25 PDGLS are in the territory of the TAR, China, 21 are located in Nepal, and one PDGL is in India.
Glacial lakes equal to or larger than 0.003 km2 were mapped for 2015, based on Landsat images and using remote sensing tools and techniques, for the Koshi, Gandaki, and Karnali basins of Nepal, the Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR) of China, and India.
The study found 3,624 glacial lakes located in the three basins, of which 2,070 lakes are in Nepal, 1,509 lakes in the TAR, China, and 45 lakes in India. As many as 1,410 lakes are larger than or equal to 0.02 km2, which are considered large enough to cause a glacial lake outburst flood (GLOF).
The number of PDGLs in Nepal identified by this study is the same as a previous exercise in 2011.
However, only 13 of them are the same PDGLs identified previously; eight PDGLs have been deleted from the earlier list and eight new PDGLs added.
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