Kathmandu, September 13:

Global warming is posing a threat to glacial lakes in Nepal.

Of the 2,323 glacial lakes in the country, 20 are under threat, according to the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP).

One-third of the Himalayas lie in Nepal. Due to global warming, temperature in the Himalayas has been increasing by 0.06 degrees Celsius every year. According to the Department of Hydrology and Meteorology, the Shorang glacier is shrinking at the rate of 10 metre per year due to the rising temperature.

The Trakarding glacier, which feeds the Tsho Rolpa glacial lake, shrunk by 100m in the last decade. As a result, the Tsho Rolpa lake has expanded to 1.4 square kilometres from 0.23 square kilometres.

No different is the situation of other glacial lakes. “Glacial retreat can cause floods and landslides, scarcity of drinking water, loss of habitat and biodiversity and Glacier Lake Outburst Flood (GLOF),” Jeevan

Thapa, chairperson of the Youth Network of Social and Environmental Development, told this daily.

He added that about 21 major GLOF events have occurred, including Tam Pokhari GLOF in 1998, which killed many people and destroyed property worth Rs 156 million.

Over 188 countries ratified the policies, strategies and future plans of the climate change in the Kyoto Protocol on February 16, 2005.

Nepal is the only South Asian country that is signatory to the protocol.

Prof Dr Madan Koirala of the Central Department of Environment Science under the Tribhuvan University said though Nepal contributes 0.025 per cent of the total greenhouse gas emission, it is highly vulnerable to the hazards of climate change.

“The government should focus on the clean energy mechanism to minimise greenhouse emission,” he said, calling on the world community to accord top priority to emission control measures.