At present, a very big and scary news is coming out from Asian geo-politics and Himalayan environment, which has created a sensation in the areas situated on the borders of India, Nepal and China. Once again, a horrific incident of bursting of a natural lake (glacial lake) due to avalanche and pressure has occurred in the very sensitive and high altitude mountainous region bordering Nepal inside Tibet. After this unexpected deluge, the water level of the rivers flowing in the northern areas of Nepal has started rising rapidly, due to which millions of people living in the low-lying areas are out of breath. Realizing the seriousness of the situation, Mayor of Nepal's Kathmandu Municipal Corporation Balen Shah (Balen Government and Local Administration) has immediately issued a high alert and instructed the people of villages and settlements situated on the banks of the river to go to safe places. However, China's attitude amid this serious natural disaster has raised a big question mark on regional cooperation, as the Chinese administration has completely stopped any kind of joint relief and rescue operations or external help in this border area, making the situation more complicated. Increasing threat to Tibet's mountain lakes and environmental crisis: The effects of global warming and climate change are now becoming increasingly visible in extremely dangerous forms in the Himalayan ranges. This entire area of Tibet is surrounded by big glaciers and high lakes, which are continuously melting. When excessive amounts of melted snow water accumulates in these natural lakes and their ability to bear the geographical pressure is lost, then these lakes suddenly burst like a big dam. This time also something similar has happened inside Tibet, due to which thousands of cusecs of water suddenly fell into the rivers flowing towards Nepal. Environmentalists and geologists have already warned that due to infrastructure development and rising temperatures in Tibet and the Himalayan belt, such 'Glacial Lake Outburst Flood' (GLOF) events may become more severe in the future, and today's incident is a living and scary evidence of the same impending danger. Immediate warning from Balen government and Nepal administration: As soon as this information about the lake burst was received, there was panic in the local and central administrative system of Nepal. Kathmandu Mayor Balen Shah, who is popular and known for his tough administrative decisions, immediately took emergency measures to deal with the disaster and issued a warning to the public through social media and official channels. The administration has especially warned the citizens living around Sindhupalchowk, Rasuwa and Bhotekoshi river basins to immediately vacate the river banks and move to safe higher places. Nepal Police, Armed Police Force (APF) and local disaster management committees have been fully prepared to respond immediately in case of any emergency. The main objective of the administration is to ensure that there is no loss of life due to sudden flow of water as people are involved in grazing animals and local activities near the river valleys during this time of the year. China's non-cooperation and ban on rescue operations The biggest diplomatic and humanitarian dispute during this entire disaster has arisen over China's stubborn attitude. Since the origin of the lake burst occurred on Tibetan territory within the Chinese border, Beijing is technically in control of relief efforts, sensor deployment and early warning systems. But as always, the Chinese administration has not only refused to be transparent in this matter, but has also stopped the relief and technical teams coming from Nepal from going near the incident site. China has banned rescue operations citing security and strategic secrecy, making it difficult for Nepalese officials to estimate how much greater the threat of further deluge may be. This suspicious and arbitrary stand of China is exposing the agreements on mutual cooperation and disaster management between the bordering countries. Impact on the plains of India and North India: This incident that took place on the border of Tibet and Nepal can have a direct impact on many parts of India too, because many rivers flowing from Nepal later join the rivers of Bihar and Uttar Pradesh. If major rivers like Kosi, Gandak and Ghaghra swell, the risk of floods in the northern plains of India suddenly increases manifold. The Indian Water Resources Ministry and disaster management agencies are in constant touch with Nepal and are keeping a close watch on the water flow through satellites. District Magistrates of border districts have also been put on high alert so that if the water level rises suddenly, rescue teams can be deployed in the lower villages in time. Geopolitically and environmentally, this incident proves that the security of the Himalayan region is not the responsibility of any one country, but the shared responsibility of the entire subcontinent. Future Challenges and Need for Permanent Solutions These recurring natural disasters in the Himalayan region have forced governments and policy makers to think that unless the regional countries come together to find a permanent scientific solution, the lives of crores of people will remain at risk. There is a strong need to install modern early-warning systems near these high altitude lakes of Tibet, which can immediately warn the villages below through sirens or digital signals as soon as the water level rises. Furthermore, China will also have to abandon its narrow diplomacy and adopt a humanitarian approach and share environmental data with neighboring countries. At present, the administration is fully prepared in the border areas of Nepal and India and the coming few hours are going to be very important in terms of relief and rescue, on which everyone's eyes are fixed.
