ICIMOD study: Langtang Lirung cliff shifted up to 40cm before Bhotekoshi flood

A study by ICIMOD has shown that the northern cliff of Langtang Lirung mountain shifted by nearly 40 centimeters even before the Bhotekoshi flood struck the Rasuwa-Kerung area on Bhadra 10.

Pema Gyamtsho, Director General of the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development, made this preliminary study public at the Fifth National Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction.

The surface displacement was detected in radar data collected by the Sentinel-1 satellite over 48 days from July 7 to August 24, 2026. According to ICIMOD's estimate, nearly 132 million cubic meters of rock and glacial ice fell from that cliff into the Lende Khola valley.

The study notes that the resulting fast-moving flow of rock, ice, water and debris caused extensive damage in the Nepal-China border area.