The glacial collapse in Nepal has already triggered massive flooding, causing extensive damage to property and claiming hundreds of lives, with hundreds more still missing. However, the threat is far from over. Chinese officials have once again raised alarm, warning Nepal that a temporary lake formed in the upper reaches of the China-Nepal border region could burst at any moment. The lake formed after the earlier disaster, when large boulders, mud, ice and other debris accumulated upstream of the Lende river system on the Tibetan side, and is currently swelling further.
Chinese officials conveyed this information to Nepal’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, stating that the water in the temporary lake has been continuously turning darker in colour — a sign, they said, that indicates the natural banks of the lake could breach at any time. They warned that the lake could suddenly overflow and rush downstream without warning, citing the change in water colour as the basis for this assessment. “The colour of the temporary lake formed after the disaster is changing — it is turning darker, which suggests it could burst,” Chinese officials said in the communication to Nepal’s foreign ministry.
However, China also indicated that the impact of a potential burst may be relatively limited, given that the lake does not hold a very large volume of water. Even in the event of a partial breach of the naturally formed barrier, the maximum water flow entering the river system is estimated at around 500 cubic metres per second — a level that officials said would remain within the river’s natural capacity.
The natural dam was formed when debris from a glacial collapse at the confluence of the Chochen river on the Chinese side and the Purepu river on the Nepal side blocked the river’s path. This glacial collapse is believed to be the primary cause of the devastating flash floods that struck the Nepal-Tibet border region on Wednesday. China’s Ministry of Water Resources estimated that the lake had accumulated around 2.5 million cubic metres of water by Friday, with another 3 million cubic metres expected to flow in over the next three days. China said it is continuously monitoring the area using drones and satellites. By Friday, the lake had already begun overflowing into the Lende Khola and Trishuli rivers, though state broadcaster CCTV assessed that the resulting risk remained under control. Even so, China advised residents in downstream areas to remain alert. With another flood threat looming even as the region struggles to recover from Wednesday’s devastation, Nepali authorities are said to be deeply concerned.
Meanwhile, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said the state has compiled details of 12 Assamese citizens who remain missing after being caught in the Nepal floods. Those missing include Ritaupormo Brahma, Montri Basumatary, Soneswar Narzary, Rahul Daimary, Shatadal Nath, Pankaj Nog, Pankaj Barman, Arun Mahanta, Samar Bezbaruah, Dr Deepali Sarkar, Manas Kumar Ghosh, and Dr Tirtha Chaliha, hailing from Karbi Anglong, Golaghat, Hojai, Kamrup Metropolitan and Nalbari districts of Assam. The Assam government said it is in continuous contact with local authorities in Nepal to help trace and rescue the flood victims, though officials noted that rescue efforts are facing some disruption due to damage to transport and communication networks in the affected areas.