Higher Temperatures Increase Glacier Retreat and Quadruple the Number of Floods in Pakistan

News Briefing: 14 July 2022

More than thirty glacial lakes in the Himalaya, Hindu Kush and Karakoram mountains of Pakistan are at risk of bursting and releasing several million cubic meters of water and debris. In May, a devastating glacial lake outburst flood rushed through the village of Hassanabad in Pakistan and swept away nearly a dozen homes. The flood washed away two small hydroelectric plants and a bridge that connected the remote community to larger cities. More than sixteen glacial lake outburst floods, apparently driven by recent heatwaves, have already occurred this year in Pakistan: four times more than the annual average. Pakistan contains more than 7,000 glaciers. The increasing frequency and intensity of glacial lake outburst floods emphasizes the widespread consequences and growing threat of rapid ice loss.

https://www.aljazeera.com/gallery/2022/7/14/photos-concerns-as-pakistan-glaciers-melt