Thame, a village near Everest and the birthplace of legendary Sherpa climbers such as Apa Sherpa and Kami Rita Sherpa, was flooded earlier today. Locals suspect a glacial lake burst its banks and fear further floods.
Thame was flooded at 1:25 pm, Nepal time, after a sudden surge of the Bhotekoshi River. The Bhotekoshi is a tributary of the Dudhkoshi River, the main watercourse of the Khumbu Valley which is directly fed by the Khumbu glacier.
Village destroyed
About 45 families live permanently in Thame. According to preliminary reports, the flood has severely damaged 50% of the village and the remaining houses are uninhabitable. Authorities report one missing person.
The exact origin of the flash flood is unconfirmed, but locals suspect a GLOF, a glacial lake outburst flood.
“There are a couple of glaciers about a two-hour walk above the valley, but because of harsh conditions, it is currently impossible to investigate the source of the outburst,” Laxman Adhikari, Ward Chair of Khumbu Pasang Lhamu Rural Municipality Four told the Himalayan Times.
Neighbors fear further floods
Local authorities have warned those living in villages near the banks of the Dudhkoshi River to stay alert. Meanwhile, members of the community are asking for helicopters to scout the lakes up the valley to try and anticipate any further floods.
Among them is Pasang Tsering Sherpa, a local entrepreneur, who considers it essential to find out where outbursts might occur: “If [the flood] comes from the right side of Kongde Ri, it will be very dangerous.”
Google Map with the affected area circled by Pasang Tsering Sherpa.
Increasing temperatures are creating huge glacial lakes. These threaten to overflow or, worse, burst because of avalanches from nearby peaks or sudden downpours during monsoon season.
The rains are hitting Nepal hard this summer. Several areas, including some parts of the Kathmandu Valley, were also flooded some weeks ago.
