China faces heavy floods due to overflowing glacial lakes

Although the number of glacial lakes in the region has gone down in recent years, the size of many of them has considerably increased which could lead to increased water levels and in-turn heavy floods.

According to the study, glaciers in the Himalayas have been shrinking and water levels in some lakes fed by these glaciers have increased to a point that their banks may be breached, Wang Xin, head of the 30-year study on the subject said.

Wang's research included 1,680 glacial lakes existing on the Chinese side of the Himalayas.

There were as many as 1,750 glacial lakes in the surveyed region for the past three decades, during which 294 disappeared and 224 new ones were formed, Xinhua News agency reported.

Glacial lakes are formed by melting of glaciers and the study might help scientists better understand the relation between glaciers, glacial lakes and weather conditions at high altitudes. PTI KJV SAR

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