Global warming and Himalayan Glaciers

Scientists have now established that the earth's temperature is rising . This heating process that raises the earth's temperature is known as the global warming. It is now found that earth's surface temperature rose by about 0.6 celsius degrees in the last 100 years. Without remedial measures, many fear that the global temperature will rise 1.4 to 5.8 celsius degees by 2100.

The warmer earth's temperature could melt parts of polar ice caps and most mountain glaciers, causing a rise in the sea -level of up to 1m within a century, which would cause flood on coastal regions. Global warming could also affect weather patterns causing prolonged drought or increased flooding in some world's leading agricultural regions. The Himalayan glaciers would completely melt away within a period of about a century.In the process of melting new glaciers lakes would be formed, which would pose serious threat to life and properly of the people living nearby.

Glacier lakes danger to Nepal-:
At present glaciers are retreating in the Himalayan region, as a result glacier lakes are being formed. This disrupts communication systems and various infrastructures like the hydropower in direct or indirect ways, subjecting to the periodic catastrophic floods. Glacier lake outburst floods also produce peaks in sediment transfer.

In 1988 a joint team of Sino-Nepalese conducted the studies of the glaciers lakes in the Arun and the Sun-Kosi Basins. According to the findings of that studies , there are many glacier lakes in Arun, Tama Kosi, Bhote kosi, Trisuli, Buri Gandaki and Karnali basins. Xizang of China have some records of the glacier lake outburst floods events. Another study covered Lower Barun, Chamlang Tsho, Naulekh, Sabai Tsho, Dudh Kund, Morang, Tsho Rolpa, Duwo,Thulagi glacier lakes.

There have been many outburst History of Glacier Lakes-:
On August 4, 1985 the nearly completed Namche hydropower plant was completely destroyed by the Dig Tsho glacier lake outburst flood.It destroyed not only the Namche hydropower station but also all the bridges, trails, cultivation fields, houses, livestock along it’s path to the confluence of the Dudh-Kosi rivers at a distance of 90 km from the Dig Tsho glacier.
Since the 1940s there have been at least 10 cases of glacier outbursts within the basins investigated.

Himalayan glaciers are now retreating due to global warming and as a result new glacier lakes are being formed. At present the world attention is drawn to finding ways to resolve the global warming problems.