Glacial lake outburst floods in the Hindu Kush Himalayas

The Hindu Kush Himalayas, known as the 'Third Pole', are experiencing rapid glacier retreat due to climate change, leading to an increase in the number and volume of glacial lakes. This has heightened the risk of glacial lake outburst floods (GLOFs), which often present transboundary threats, as seen in the 2016 Bhote Koshi River flood where a lake breach in Tibet caused $70 million in damages in Nepal. Despite the high risk, early-warning systems are inadequate and cross-border cooperation remains limited, although initiatives like the Hindu Kush Himalaya Glaciers and Mountain Economy Network and the Koshi Basin Initiative aim to improve regional resilience.

• Climate change is causing rapid glacier retreat in the Hindu Kush Himalayas; specifically, Nepal lost 24% of its glacier areas between 1977 and 2010, and global glacier losses are expected to continue even if temperature increases are kept below 1.5°C.
• The global number and volume of glacial lakes have increased by approximately 50% since 1990, raising the frequency of GLOFs caused by climate change, extreme rainfall, earthquakes, and avalanches.
• GLOFs in the Hindu Kush region are significant transboundary risks; for example, a 2016 event where Gongbatongshacuo Lake in Tibet breached its dam released 100,000 m3 of water, causing $70 million in economic damages along the Bhote Koshi River in Nepal.
• Nepal faces high exposure to transboundary GLOF risks, with 11 of its 26 recorded GLOFs since 1977 originating outside its borders. A 2020 inventory identified 47 dangerous glacial lakes, 25 of which are located in Tibet.
• Disaster risk reduction (DRR) and early-warning systems in the region are currently inadequate, with only three sensor-based systems in place (two in Nepal) and none operating across borders.

APA

Stockholm Environment Institute (2021). Glacial lake outburst floods in the Hindu Kush Himalayas. https://www.sei.org/features/glacial-lake-outburst-floods-hindu-kush-himalayas/

Chicago

Stockholm Environment Institute. Glacial lake outburst floods in the Hindu Kush Himalayas. 2021. https://www.sei.org/features/glacial-lake-outburst-floods-hindu-kush-himalayas/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Stockholm Environment Institute |title=Glacial lake outburst floods in the Hindu Kush Himalayas |date=9 November 2021 |url=https://www.sei.org/features/glacial-lake-outburst-floods-hindu-kush-himalayas/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{stockholmenvironmentinstitute2021glacial, author = {{Stockholm Environment Institute}}, title = {{Glacial lake outburst floods in the Hindu Kush Himalayas}}, institution = {Stockholm Environment Institute}, year = {2021}, month = nov, url = {https://www.sei.org/features/glacial-lake-outburst-floods-hindu-kush-himalayas/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }