Huge Himalayan lakes in the making as the glaciers melt at an alarming pace !

Floods to follow once these lakes are breached

New Delhi – Thanks to global warming, the snow-capped mountains are melting across the globe. Things are no different for the Indian Himalayan Region. As a consequence, lake levels and catchment areas, both are on the rise. This poses a risk of floods for the habitations adjoining rivers. This is evident from the study undertaken by the scientists from various universities from countries such as Briton, Peru and Austria. China, Nepal and India have accordingly been warned.

1. The scientists have claimed that over the next 30 years, the number of lakes would go up by more than 50% as a result of melting of glaciers

2. They have identified 3,634 potential lakes which might just get formed as a result of melting of glaciers. The majority (2,070) of those would be in Nepal in the river basins of Koshi, Gandaki and Karnali. This poses a risk of floods to the habitants of the region.

3. Tibet (under Chinese rule) and India would potentially have 1,509 and 45 of them respectively

4. Stephan Harrison – Professor of Climate and Environmental Change at the Exeter University in Britain, thinks that some of these lakes have already crossed the threshold levels and can cause havoc once broken.