By Yadu Prasad Bhatta,Manang, Aug.21: Gangapurna Glacial Lake located in the Annapurna Circuit trekking route in Manang district is facing an existential crisis. The lake's beauty is diminishing as the lake is becoming shallower each year due to glacier retreats on one side and the accumulation of mud and debris on the other.
To protect the watershed and maintain environmental balance, it is crucial to preserve Gangapurna Glacier Lake. However, efforts to save the lake have been halted due to the lack of funding. Situated at an altitude of 3,540 metres above sea level in Ngisyang Rural Municipality-6, the lake is fed by a glacier from Gangapurna Mountain.
Glacial lakes are vital sources of water for the planet, so their conservation is an urgent priority. Manang has, of late, gained attention as a tourist destination, and the Gangapurna Glacier Lake even served as a filming location for the Bollywood movie Unchai, starring actors Amitabh Bachchan and Anupam Kher. Several Nepali and Indian films have been shot in Manang after the pandemic.
The number of Indian tourists visiting the area has also increased post-pandemic. The lake freezes during winter and it is replenished by melting snow from the mountains during the monsoon season. A road now reaches the lake, which is just a 15-minute walk from the village of Manang.
According to a joint study by the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), Nepal has 2,086 glacier lakes, 21 of which are considered at risk. Gangapurna Glacial Lake is one of them. Kancha Ghale, Chairman of Ngisyang Rural Municipality expressed concern that the lake could disappear if conservation efforts are not undertaken in time.
A lake conservation project that started three years ago has been stalled, putting the lake's existence in even greater peril. The project was initiated as a partnership between the Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation and Ngisyang Rural Municipality. The project was supposed to receive 70 per cent of its funds from the ministry and 30 per cent from the rural municipality.
However, the lack of budget left the project in limbo. Although some work was completed in the first year, no additional funds were released, and the construction company did not return to continue the project. Consequently, the lake's survival is now in jeopardy.
Locals also took the initiative to protect the lake after it was buried by excessive rainfall and flooding in 2021. Community labour was mobilised to build a dam for the lake. In October 2021, the responsibility for constructing the required structures to protect the lake was awarded to a construction company named Jaljala Shivashakti Adhikari JV.
The contract was worth Rs. 40.8 million, but the company opted to take the project for Rs.
29.5 million, including VAT. Acting Chief Administrative Officer of the rural municipality, Nabin Chhetri, said that while Rs.
2.5 million was allocated by the Tourism Ministry in the first year, no further budget has been released since then. To date, only about 20 per cent of the planned physical work has been completed.
The project aims to sustainably preserve the lake by raising the dam, constructing gabion walls to prevent glacier erosion and building a walking trail and other tourist infrastructure around the lake. Chairman Ghale said that if the ministry does not provide additional funding, the rural municipality is considering using its own budget to complete some of the necessary structures. The federal and provincial governments must pay attention to the preservation of this glacier lake, which also serves as a water source for the Marshyangdi River and other local streams.
The Himalayan region is directly impacted by global temperature rise. Glacier lakes are located in sensitive areas prone to landslides, and any sudden breach of a glacier lake can trigger devastating floods and landslides, further threatening their existence. Experts have suggested installing early warning systems in areas with glacier lakes and using satellite and radar technology to monitor and study the lakes, especially in areas inaccessible to people.
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