Scientists in Kyrgyzstan warn global warming is causing glaciers to melt and that this is putting Bishkek and its surrounding valleys at risk of massive mudslides and flooding.
According to reports in the local media, there are more than a dozen melt-water lakes in the area and the largest of them is a potential hazard for the country’s capital city, which is located just 40km down the valley. An underground ice plug has naturally dammed the lake, but the ice is thawing and the water is pouring into the Ala-Archa River.
“The probability of catastrophic lake outbursts is still small, but it increases with each new lake. This applies especially to high mountain regions such as Central Asia, the Himalayas, the Andes and the European Alps,” glaciologist Wilfried Haeberli of the University of Zurich told EurasiaNet.org. “We can quite accurately simulate where and when the new lakes will form. Therefore, it is possible to plan ahead and take early action.”
According to Haeberli, one of the best ways to prevent disaster - a possible tsunami - is to build a reservoir dam strong enough to stop a tidal wave. Early warning systems are also necessary in order to warn people to evacuate the area in time.
In 2007, the United Nations Environmental Programme sounded the alarm, predicting “the largest and most extensive glacial hazard”. Two years ago, the ice holding back the Teztor Lake in the mountains melted and the water rose by 16 centimetres.