Unplanned construction in Himalayan region puts 300,000 people at disaster risk: study

A new study has found that growing construction along riverbanks and around glacial lakes in the Himalayan region has put at least 300,000 people at risk of disaster.

The study, published in the journal Scientific Reports, was conducted by scientists from Britain, Nepal and India. It covers northern Nepal, parts of southeastern Tibet and the Uttarakhand region of India.

According to the study, the area of structures built on high-risk terrain increased by about 45 percent between 2016 and 2023. In areas at extreme risk of glacial lake outburst floods, this increase reached nearly 78 percent. Researchers point to the rapid expansion of tourism infrastructure and housing as the main cause.

The study considered only buildings within 164 feet of the riverbank as being at risk. However, in the recent Bhotekoshi flood, the river's surface rose by as much as 230 feet, burying even structures far from the bank in mud and debris.

The study notes that temperatures in the Himalayan region are rising at twice the global average rate, and that this uncontrolled settlement expansion is occurring even as glacial melting accelerates.