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, 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.
Additionally, 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) have reported.
The Imja lake, sitting at over 5,000m (16,400ft) above sea level, has not burst since it was drained a decade ago, at which point it was nearly 150m deep in places. The depth of the lake was reduced by about 3.5m as part of a $3.5m risk reduction project, which included this early warning system.
However, scientists warn that global warming-induced fast melting of glaciers is dangerously expanding many Himalayan glacial lakes, which can burst and sweep away downstream settlements, trekking routes, and bridges.
Ice loss rates have doubled in the Hindu Kush Himalaya region since 2000, as assessed by the Kathmandu-based International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development. Experts indicate that rising temperatures are destabilizing mountains, unleashing rockfalls and glacial collapse, triggering potential catastrophic floods.
In the Everest region specifically, there have been at least five floods from glacial lakes in the last five decades. Many residents living in the path of Lake Imja fear for their future.
The condition of the siren towers has led locals like Ang Nuru Sherpa to doubt that any flood alerts would be issued in the event of an emergency, saying that the technology is rusting and leaning, with no maintenance conducted for years.
“The siren tower in our village is rusting and leaning and is set to fall any time because there has never been any maintenance,” said Ang Nuru Sherpa, chairman of the Chaurikharka buffer zone area adjoining Sagarmatha National Park.
Officials are aware of the risks; however, budget constraints from the central government have stunted their viability. In recent discussions, Niraj Pradhananga, a senior meteorologist in the DHM, expressed disappointment over unfulfilled budget allocations, adding that alternative funding from hydropower providers had not materialized.
Archana Shrestha, the DHM's acting director general, said resources had previously been redirected to upgrade a different glacial lake's early warning system, noting, “That took all our resources and time; now we will shift our focus to Imja lake.”
Despite the existing challenges, the UNDP received another $36m grant to replicate the process initiated at Imja on four other lakes in Nepal, with a stronger emphasis on sustainability based on lessons learned from the current situation.
The local Sherpa community remains skeptical and frustrated, with individuals like Nawang Thome Sherpa, head of a local body in Phakding, lamenting, “They spent millions of dollars in the name of protecting us from potential disaster—but we are forced to live with the fear of loss of lives and property every day.”
