Adapting to Glacial Shifts: Climate Resilience and Disaster Preparedness in the Himalayas
By combining cutting-edge technology, engineering expertise, and community engagement, BGC and our partners are actively shaping the future of climate change adaptation and disaster resilience in the Himalayas.
Glacial environments present unique challenges due to their dynamic nature, extreme conditions, and climate vulnerability. Unlike other landforms or terrains, glaciers shift constantly, affecting hydrology, infrastructure, and ecosystems. Rapid glacier melt increases the risk of glacial lake outburst floods (GLOFs), riverbank erosion, and landslides, threatening communities and infrastructure.
Managing these hazards requires a deep understanding of glacial processes and engineering solutions tailored to extreme environments.
Yet, the harsh, remote nature of glacial environments—unstable ice, crevasses, avalanches, and unpredictable terrain—complicates logistics, making fieldwork hazardous. Additionally, continuous glacial transformation makes long-term monitoring difficult, hindering climate change assessments. Permafrost thawing further destabilizes slopes in high-altitude regions like the Himalayas, and heavy rainfall increases flash floods and landslide risks.
The BGC team are experts in geohazard management and risk-informed decision-making for challenging environments like these.
By integrating deep earth science expertise with advanced data integration, analytics, and visualization, we provide critical insights and solutions for glacier-affected communities facing climate change.
This work includes:
- Conducting risk assessments, analyzing glacier runoff impacts on water resources, and developing climate-adjusted designs for resilient infrastructure.
- Supporting sustainable adaptation through early warning systems, floodplain mapping, and stakeholder collaboration.
- Translating complex climate data into actionable strategies, to empower resilience-building for communities facing evolving climate challenges.
An example is BGC’s ongoing work in the Mount Everest region for the Asian Development Bank (ADB), where a GLOF in August 2024 devastated Thame Village, destroying homes, infrastructure, and agricultural land.
Following the event, BGC’s team of Dr. Alex Strouth, Emily Mark, and Dr. Keshab Sharma visited the devasted area and outburst lake (at about 4800 m elevation) to assess the cause of the flood, surficial geology, damage extent, and future risk scenarios. Experts from ICIMOD, Nepal’s National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority (NDRRMA), and key personnel of ADB’s Building Adaptation and Resilience in the Hindu Kush Himalayas (BARHKH) initiative) also visited Thame to evaluate the disaster’s impact and discuss mitigation strategies.
Together with ADB, ICIMOD and NDRRMA, BGC is developing a comprehensive risk assessment and management framework. This initiative aims to create a scalable risk reduction model that can be applied to other vulnerable Himalayan valleys.
Read the Asian Development Bank blog post, co-authored by Alex Strouth and with contributions from Emily Mark: “Asia’s glaciers are melting rapidly, but these 3 steps can save lives and infrastructure”
Beyond hazard assessment, BGC has pioneered engineering solutions to mitigate mountain risks. A prime example is ADB’s Melamchi Water Supply Project, where BGC proposed a tower intake structure that remains functional even under extreme debris flow conditions. This innovative system ensures a continuous water supply to tunnels, preventing disruptions in downstream communities.
Our ongoing work in the Hindu Kush Himalayas, particularly in Nepal and Bhutan, is helping communities develop comprehensive climate and disaster risk assessments, design multi-hazard early warning systems, develop risk financing mechanisms, build actionable risk reduction strategies, and strengthen local disaster preparedness. This work ensures that vulnerable communities can proactively adapt to the changing glacial landscape, reducing disaster risks and fostering resilience in one of the world’s most fragile environments. By combining cutting-edge technology, engineering expertise, and community engagement, BGC and our partners are actively shaping the future of climate change adaptation and disaster resilience in the Himalayas.
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