Kathmandu, Sept 8: Disaster information sharing between Nepal and China has become more active since the devastating flood of August 26, with Chinese authorities now providing Nepal with daily updates on weather, glaciers and glacial lake risks.
Dr Archana Shrestha, director general of Nepal’s Department of Hydrology and Meteorology, said the China Meteorological Administration has been sending daily weather reports, satellite images and data on changes in glaciers, along with early warnings.
The information is also being shared through a WeChat group involving Nepali and Chinese officials. The group existed before the flood but was largely used only when problems arose. Since the disaster, Chinese officials have been regularly sending satellite images and videos.
China’s state-run Xinhua news agency has reported that Nepal is now connected to real-time services based on China’s Fengyun 3 and Fengyun 4 satellites. Chinese authorities are also monitoring the risk of ice and rock falls in the flood source areas and changes in river channels through satellite imagery.
Nepal had repeatedly asked China to provide timely information on unusual activity around glaciers and real-time data on water levels in upstream areas. The issue was also raised during a bilateral meeting in Kathmandu on May 27, three months before the flood.
Shrestha said discussions were already underway to improve information sharing when the disaster occurred. She added that access to real-time data has expanded following recent upgrades to China’s Fengyun satellite systems.
The improved exchange has already helped Nepal monitor two newly formed lakes in the Lirung Himal area of Langtang. After receiving information from China, Nepali authorities monitored the lakes’ water levels and issued an alert when the volume initially increased. They later learned that the water had gradually drained and the immediate risk had subsided.
Meanwhile, Regular satellite images and videos have now revealed another unusual change in the Langtang region: a lake that had been hidden beneath ice has become visible again.
Bikram Shrestha Juwa, deputy executive director of the Water and Energy Commission Secretariat’s research centre, said the feature is different from an ordinary glacial lake. Technically known as an englacial lake, it appears to have existed in the past before being covered by ice as its water level declined.
Researchers do not yet know the lake’s age, water volume or why it has reappeared. Its connection, if any, with the September 10 disaster also remains unclear.
Juwa said the development was detected through regular monitoring of satellite images and videos shared by Chinese officials via WeChat. Such daily updates, he said, are helping Nepali authorities track and understand changes taking place in the high Himalayan region.
People’s News Monitoring Service
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