Kathmandu - The rise in global temperatures and climate
change caused by greenhouse gases are posing risks for Nepal's
Himalayan glaciers and glacial lakes, official media reported
Wednesday.
Global warming has affected northern Nepal considerably, causing
the melting of glaciers, the state-owned Gorkhapatra newspaper said,
quoting government officials.
'Global warming is causing the existing glacial lakes in Nepal's
Himalayan range to expand and the possibility of them bursting,' the
newspaper quoted Purusottam Ghimire, joint secretary at the Ministry
of Science and Technology, as saying.
'The global warming is also causing change in weather patterns
across Nepal which has resulted in extreme weather conditions such as
longer drought-like conditions and heavy rains causing flash floods
as well as desertification,' Ghimire said.
According to a report by the country's meteorological department,
Nepal recorded an annual temperature increase of 0.06 degrees Celsius
between 1976 and 2005.
Also affected are the glaciers in the Himalayas which were
shrinking at a considerable rate.
Research in western Nepal by the United Nations said glaciers were
receding by as much as 10 metres per year.
Nepal has more than 3,000 glaciers and 2,323 glacier lakes.
Officials said if the glacial lakes were to burst, it would
inundate or wash away several settlements lower down the mountains.
Nepalese experts were also worried over the possible consequences
of temperature increases on agricultural production.
'The agricultural sector is likely to face the brunt of the global
warming,' said Laxman Paudel, officer at the agriculture department.
'Climate change is likely to cause less rainfall and drying up of
water sources which will eventually hit production.'
Nepal largely depends of rivers fed by glaciers for irrigation and
drinking water sources during dry winter months.
The country is already facing the possibility of long electricity
power cuts - as much as 10 hours per day this winter - due to
inadequate rainfall in summers and low water levels in the main
rivers.
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