{"id":17581,"date":"2026-08-28T14:44:13","date_gmt":"2026-08-28T14:44:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/?p=17581"},"modified":"2026-08-28T14:44:13","modified_gmt":"2026-08-28T14:44:13","slug":"nepal-china-border-why-a-newly-formed-lake-is-sparking-fears-of-more-flooding","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/?p=17581","title":{"rendered":"Nepal-China border: Why a newly-formed lake is sparking fears of more flooding"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<div class=\"e9jwa\">\n<div class=\"vdo_embedd\">\n<div class=\"GfdvZ\">\n<section class=\"_bIDB  clearfix id-r-component leadmedia undefined undefined  E9tg9 \" style=\"top:0px\">\n<div class=\"_bIDB\" data-ua-type=\"1\" onclick=\"stpPgtnAndPrvntDefault(event)\">\n<div class=\"ypVvZ\">\n<div class=\"WGttI\"><img src=\"https:\/\/static.toiimg.com\/thumb\/msid-133592990,imgsize-265161,width-400,height-225,resizemode-4\/china-nepal-border-ap.jpg\" alt=\"Nepal-China border: Why a newly-formed lake is sparking fears of more flooding\" decoding=\"async\" fetchpriority=\"high\"\/><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>Rescue operations continued searching through thick layers of mud and debris in flood-hit Nepal on Friday as authorities remained on high alert over a newly formed lake near the Nepal-China border, raising fears of another flash flood in the region.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"2\"\/>The warning comes two days after devastating floods swept through the Himalayan border region, killing more than 500 people and leaving over 1,500 missing.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"4\"\/>Nepal&#8217;s disaster management authorities said satellite imagery and preliminary assessments indicated that a river had been blocked upstream, creating a growing lake that could burst and send a sudden surge of water downstream.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"6\"\/>The rescue operations were also disrupted for some time after a newly formed barrier lake began overflowing, raising fears of another flash flood in areas already devastated.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"10\"\/><span class=\"strong\" data-ua-type=\"1\" onclick=\"stpPgtnAndPrvntDefault(event)\">Where is the newly formed lake?<\/span><span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"12\"\/>Satellite imagery shown by Chinese state broadcaster CCTV indicated that the lake had formed in the same area where a glacial detachment occurred on Wednesday, triggering the chain of events that caused widespread destruction downstream.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"14\"\/>CCTV reported that the lake&#8217;s barrier was more than 10 km from Gyirong Port, a key border crossing with Nepal that was inundated by mud and floodwater. The lake is located at an elevation of about 2,950 metres, nearly 1,000 metres above Gyirong Port.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"18\"\/><span class=\"strong\" data-ua-type=\"1\" onclick=\"stpPgtnAndPrvntDefault(event)\">How did the lake form?<\/span><span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"20\"\/>The lake was formed after debris from a massive glacier collapse blocked the river near the Nepal-Tibet border, creating a natural barrier and trapping water upstream. Debris and rocks blocked part of the river, creating a temporary natural dam and causing water to accumulate behind it.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"22\"\/>The lake is located near the confluence of the Chhochen Khola and Purepu Tsangpo rivers. <!-- -->Both rivers originate in Tibet and merge before entering Nepal, where the combined river is known as the Bhote Koshi, which later flows into the Trishuli river.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"26\"\/>The lake had already begun overflowing, with Nepal&#8217;s National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority (NDRRMA) warning that it could continue to grow and potentially burst.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"28\"\/>\u201cThe lake is continuing to grow and there is a risk that it could burst,\u201d the NDRRMA said.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"31\"\/>&#8220;Another dammed lake was formed by the August 26th ice-rock avalanche and this has begun to outflow,&#8221; Qianggong Zhang of the International Center for Integrated Mountain Development said, the Associated Press reported.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"33\"\/>Zhang said the lake contains a few million cubic metres of water and is located in a valley with a limited elevation drop towards downstream areas. The volume of water is equivalent to roughly 1,200 Olympic-sized swimming pools.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"36\"\/><\/p>\n<div data-pos=\"0\" class=\"id-r-component iIpbx undefined  &#10;        \">\n<div><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Fresh threat for Nepal\" msid=\"133593638\" imgsize=\"168684\" resizemode=\"4\" width=\"\" title=\"\" placeholdersrc=\"https:\/\/static.toiimg.com\/photo\/83033472.cms\" offsetvertical=\"0\" placeholdermsid=\"47529300\" type=\"thumb\" class=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/static.toiimg.com\/photo\/imgsize-168684,msid-133593638\/fresh-threat-for-nepal.jpg\" data-api-prerender=\"true\"\/><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"38\"\/><span class=\"strong\" data-ua-type=\"1\" onclick=\"stpPgtnAndPrvntDefault(event)\">Why are authorities worried?<\/span><span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"40\"\/>Scientists have warned that continued glacial melt, high temperatures and debris blocking river channels could lead to further flooding.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"42\"\/>&#8220;There is still a lot of glacial melts going on because of high temperatures and the water is accumulating at various points, as there is bound to be a lot of debris and rock on the river\u2019s path,&#8221; said Jakob Steiner, a geoscientist at the University of Graz in Austria.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"45\"\/>Both Zhang and Steiner said the warnings should be taken seriously, particularly as rescue teams continue searching for people missing in the floods. However, they said another flash flood on the same devastating scale was unlikely.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"47\"\/><span class=\"strong\" data-ua-type=\"1\" onclick=\"stpPgtnAndPrvntDefault(event)\">India monitoring situation<\/span><span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"49\"\/>Wednesday&#8217;s flash floods swept through villages and valleys, destroying roads, bridges and hydropower infrastructure along a key route linking Kathmandu with Lhasa in Tibet. <!-- -->The area is also frequented by trekkers and pilgrims travelling towards Mount Kailash.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"53\"\/>At least 320 Indians remain missing, while around 400 others are stranded on the Chinese side following the floods along the Nepal-Tibet border, the ministry of external affairs (MEA) said in a media briefing.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"56\"\/>MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said India was ready to provide all possible assistance to Nepal in its rescue efforts. <!-- -->He said 96 Indian nationals stranded on the Chinese side had safely crossed into Nepal by land.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"60\"\/>Twenty-one Indians also arrived in New Delhi on Friday, a day after reaching Kathmandu from the flood-affected areas of Nepal, PTI reported.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"62\"\/>Since Wednesday night, India has also sent a total of 47.5 tonnes of emergency supplies to Nepal in two military transport aircraft and is in the process of sending more relief materials.<\/div>\n<p><br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/timesofindia.indiatimes.com\/world\/south-asia\/nepal-china-border-why-a-newly-formed-lake-is-sparking-fears-of-more-flooding\/articleshow\/133592232.cms\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Rescue operations continued searching through thick layers of mud and debris in flood-hit Nepal on Friday as authorities remained on high alert over a newly formed lake near the Nepal-China border, raising fears of another flash flood in the region.The warning comes two days after devastating floods swept through the Himalayan border region, killing more [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":17582,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[31],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-17581","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-31"],"magazineBlocksPostFeaturedMedia":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/china-nepal-border-ap.jpg","medium":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/china-nepal-border-ap.jpg","medium_large":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/china-nepal-border-ap.jpg","large":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/china-nepal-border-ap.jpg","1536x1536":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/china-nepal-border-ap.jpg","2048x2048":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/china-nepal-border-ap.jpg","blogsy-small":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/china-nepal-border-ap.jpg","blogsy-small-tall":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/china-nepal-border-ap.jpg","blogsy-small-square":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/china-nepal-border-ap.jpg","blogsy-small-masonry":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/china-nepal-border-ap.jpg","blogsy-medium":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/china-nepal-border-ap.jpg","blogsy-medium-masonry":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/china-nepal-border-ap.jpg","blogsy-large":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/china-nepal-border-ap.jpg","blogsy-wide":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/china-nepal-border-ap.jpg"},"magazineBlocksPostAuthor":{"name":"admin","avatar":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/8709732a479614e7a8aa24d3eb1b239f30dc6d90c61464ed495001e7a469d856?s=96&d=mm&r=g"},"magazineBlocksPostCommentsNumber":"0","magazineBlocksPostExcerpt":"Rescue operations continued searching through thick layers of mud and debris in flood-hit Nepal on Friday as authorities remained on high alert over a newly formed lake near the Nepal-China border, raising fears of another flash flood in the region.The warning comes two days after devastating floods swept through the Himalayan border region, killing more [&hellip;]","magazineBlocksPostCategories":["\u0b26\u0b47\u0b36 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