An early flood warning system designed to save the lives of thousands of people in the Everest region may no longer be working, Nepalese officials have admitted to the BBC, after it was allowed to fall into a state of disrepair.
The disclosure came after villagers in the local Sherpa communities told the BBC no inspection of the UN-supported project had been carried out for many years after the dangerous Imja glacial lake was last drained in 2016.
Since then, no maintenance has been undertaken, which means siren towers have been left to rust, while some have even had their batteries stolen, according to locals.
On top of this, the satellite data reception transmitting the lake's water level - which can then be used to send out mobile phone alerts to locals - has been unreliable, officials at Nepal's department of hydrology and meteorology (DHM) told the BBC.
The Imja lake, which sits at a little over 5,000m (16,400ft) above sea level, has not burst since it was drained a decade ago - at which point, it was almost 150m deep in places. Back then, the depth of the lake was reduced by about 3.5m as part of a $3.5m risk reduction project, which included the early warning system.
But scientists warn global warming-induced fast melting glaciers are causing many Himalayan glacial lakes to expand dangerously - meaning they can then burst out and sweep away downstream settlements, trekking routes and bridges.
In the Everest region alone, there have been at least five floods from glacial lakes in the last five decades, leaving those living in Imja lake's path fearing for the future.
Locals like Jangbu Sherpa in the Chhukung village say they were told officials would inspect the siren system every year but that has not happened. ”When the project was commissioned, we were told officials from the department of hydrology and meteorology will be visiting the region every year to inspect the system, but we see no one coming here,” said Jangbu Sherpa at Chhukung, which would be the first village hit if Lake Imja burst.
In the Everest region, rising temperatures have also left mountains less stable, unleashing rockfalls and glacial collapse - sometimes triggering catastrophic floods. Tshering Sherpa, CEO of the Sagarmatha Pollution Control Committee, stated that it was more than just the villagers at risk; tourists who visit the area are also vulnerable.
”Six villages in the region are vulnerable to floods and so are the more than 60,000 tourists who visit our region every year,” added Sherpa.
Despite awareness from officials, no budget has been allocated for maintenance and repair, leaving locals to adapt to ongoing risks in a region marked by environmental fragility. Many express frustration over the lack of attention to the system, while climate change continues to exacerbate the threats from glacial lakes.
The disclosure came after villagers in the local Sherpa communities told the BBC no inspection of the UN-supported project had been carried out for many years after the dangerous Imja glacial lake was last drained in 2016.
Since then, no maintenance has been undertaken, which means siren towers have been left to rust, while some have even had their batteries stolen, according to locals.
On top of this, the satellite data reception transmitting the lake's water level - which can then be used to send out mobile phone alerts to locals - has been unreliable, officials at Nepal's department of hydrology and meteorology (DHM) told the BBC.
The Imja lake, which sits at a little over 5,000m (16,400ft) above sea level, has not burst since it was drained a decade ago - at which point, it was almost 150m deep in places. Back then, the depth of the lake was reduced by about 3.5m as part of a $3.5m risk reduction project, which included the early warning system.
But scientists warn global warming-induced fast melting glaciers are causing many Himalayan glacial lakes to expand dangerously - meaning they can then burst out and sweep away downstream settlements, trekking routes and bridges.
In the Everest region alone, there have been at least five floods from glacial lakes in the last five decades, leaving those living in Imja lake's path fearing for the future.
Locals like Jangbu Sherpa in the Chhukung village say they were told officials would inspect the siren system every year but that has not happened. ”When the project was commissioned, we were told officials from the department of hydrology and meteorology will be visiting the region every year to inspect the system, but we see no one coming here,” said Jangbu Sherpa at Chhukung, which would be the first village hit if Lake Imja burst.
In the Everest region, rising temperatures have also left mountains less stable, unleashing rockfalls and glacial collapse - sometimes triggering catastrophic floods. Tshering Sherpa, CEO of the Sagarmatha Pollution Control Committee, stated that it was more than just the villagers at risk; tourists who visit the area are also vulnerable.
”Six villages in the region are vulnerable to floods and so are the more than 60,000 tourists who visit our region every year,” added Sherpa.
Despite awareness from officials, no budget has been allocated for maintenance and repair, leaving locals to adapt to ongoing risks in a region marked by environmental fragility. Many express frustration over the lack of attention to the system, while climate change continues to exacerbate the threats from glacial lakes.
