Due to earthquakes and storms in the Himalaya, the effect of deadly floods has increased tremendously in one of the most densely populated areas in the world. The Himalayan region is composed of different tribes and now has a population of about 40 million.
According to researchers, the huge volume of hard rock that was dumped into the rivers by landslides due to earthquakes and typhoons has increased the risk of floods to occur up to hundreds of kilometers downstream. This would definitely affect millions of people residing in the area.
One of the most vulnerable places is the Ganga Plain. It is a low-lying region that covers parts of India, Nepal, and Pakistan.
In addition to this is the effect of global warming that leads to glacial melt in the Himalayas. According to Newsweek, the melting Himalayan glaciers post a more direct long term effect on the millions of people who are living along the rivers. Scientists have warned that by 2070, there could be a possibility of 43 percent decrease in land mass in this area.
Scientists from the University of Edinburgh found that the rocks that were washed down are more likely to increase the risk of flood in the southern low elevated areas than those in the northern higher mountains.
The rocks in the southern area are extremely hard and are only less than 20 km near the Ganga Plain. This means, the pebbles and gravel from these rocks could reach the plain and could alter the natural path of the water.
Scientific American also reported that more than one among the five dams in the Himalayas has a possibility to experience overwhelming floods due to the melting glaciers. This is also amplified by rocks brought by the landslides.
Most people only have little knowledge about how Himalayan landslides affect the flood risk in the Ganga Plain. This new finding is a great in helping researchers to improve the flood risk maps in Ganga.
