Signal: Collapsed Imja Glacier Is an Early Warning Sign for Himalayan Flood Risks
On June 12, 2024, residents of the Khumbu region awoke to a roar as water surged down valleys that had been dry for years. A field team from the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) identified a breach in Imja Glacier at 5,400 m as the source. The flood claimed 28 lives and displaced more than 3,000 people across Nepal and the Tibet Autonomous Region. Understanding this event is critical because it illustrates how rapidly melting ice can turn into deadly water flows.
What Happened: The Glacier Collapse and the Flood
The chain of events began early on June 12, when a warm front pushed temperatures in the Khumbu region above ‑2 °C, the highest for that time of year in a decade. Satellite imagery from NASA’s Landsat 9, analyzed by researchers at the University of Colorado Boulder, showed a sudden opening about 250 metres wide on the southern flank of Imja Glacier. Within minutes, meltwater from the glacier’s accumulation zone rushed down the Imja Khola, joining the Dudh Koshi river system. Local eyewitnesses reported a wall of water up to three metres high sweeping through the villages of Dingboche, Pheriche, and further downstream in
Despite being a frozen mass, Imja Glacier’s basal ice can flow up to 1 metre per day during a sudden melt surge, outpacing many rivers.
