Big crisis increases due to glacier lakes of Nepal and Tibet Glacial lakes, which are rapidly forming in the Himalayan regions of Nepal and Tibet, have become a major natural hazard for the entire North India. In case the natural dams of these lakes break, suddenly a huge flood of water, snow and debris can come down. The hilly areas of Uttarakhand adjoining Nepal as well as the plains of Uttar Pradesh and Bihar may be affected by this possible Glacial Lake Outburst Flood.
47 dangerous lakes in Hindukush Himalayas, Bihar most affected According to the report of International Center for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) and UNDP, 47 such lakes have been identified in the Hindukush Himalayan region which are extremely sensitive and dangerous. Of these, 25 lakes are located in Nepal, 21 in Tibet and one in India. According to geographical structure, 42 of these lakes fall in Kosi basin, three in Gandaki and two in Karnali river basin. That means, about 96 percent of the dangerous lakes are present in the Kosi and Gandaki basins only.
This situation is most worrying for Bihar, because Koshi and Gandaki rivers originating from Nepal directly enter the plains of Bihar. If there is any explosion in these 45 sensitive lakes across the border, it will have a direct and dire impact on the large population of Bihar.
219 hanging glaciers in Uttarakhand, Mahakali river in Pithoragarh at risk In the Alaknanda Basin of Uttarakhand alone, 219 hanging glaciers have been identified, which are spread over an area of about 71.7 square kilometers. According to scientists, their estimated ice reserve is 2.39 cubic kilometers and their average slope is 33.6 degrees. Due to the steep slopes, there is always a danger of avalanches, blockage of rivers and sudden devastating floods due to breaking of large pieces of ice.
Experts say that Uttarakhand will not suffer direct damage from the lakes of Tibet, but the Mahakali River (Black River) originating from Nepal can cause huge devastation in Pithoragarh and surrounding areas. The glacial lakes of Mugu region of Nepal and the lakes of Kali River basin have been considered extremely sensitive.
There may also be a spate in Ghaghra river of Uttar Pradesh The sudden increase in water flow in the rivers coming from Nepal is also a big challenge for the Terai and plains districts of Uttar Pradesh. Karnali river of Nepal further flows in Uttar Pradesh under the name of Ghaghra i.e. Saryu. Since its upper catchment area extends to Tibet, any disturbance in the glacial region of Tibet will result in severe floods in the Ghaghra river of UP.
According to ICIMOD's March 2026 data, there are more than 63,700 Himalayan glaciers present in the entire Hindukush Himalaya, which are spread over approximately 55,782 square km. The rate of snow melting here has doubled since the year 2000. Geologists believe that 24-hour satellite monitoring of these lakes and hanging glaciers present in the Alaknanda and Bhagirathi valleys is very important so that any possible disaster can be dealt with in time.