Latest / GNN Daily Breaking News / Nepal and China Warn of New Flood Risks

Transcript

Nepal and China Warn of New Flood Risks · GNN Daily Breaking News

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: Authorities in Nepal and China are warning of renewed flood
• 0:03
  Speaker 1: dangers in the Himalayas, as unstable glacial lakes threaten to
• 0:08
  Speaker 1: burst in the aftermath of last week's catastrophic collapse near
• 0:11
  Speaker 1: the Nepal-Tibet border. The warnings come amid ongoing rescue operations,
• 0:17
  Speaker 1: with more than 1,000 people still missing and nearly 400
• 0:21
  Speaker 1: confirmed dead from the initial disaster. Nepal's Department of Hydrology
• 0:26
  Speaker 1: and Meteorology has identified several upstream lakes showing signs of instability,
• 0:32
  Speaker 1: raising fears of secondary floods that could devastate downstream communities.
• 0:37
  Speaker 1: Officials say heavy rainfall and continued glacial melt are increasing
• 0:41
  Speaker 1: pressure on natural dams, which could fail suddenly and unleash
• 0:45
  Speaker 1: torrents of water, mud, and debris. China's emergency management authorities
• 0:51
  Speaker 1: issued similar alerts for Zhairong County in Tibet, where floodwaters
• 0:55
  Speaker 1: from the initial collapse destroyed infrastructure and displaced thousands. Premier
• 1:01
  Speaker 1: Li Cheng, who visited the disaster zone earlier this week,
• 1:05
  Speaker 1: emphasized the need for cross-border coordination to monitor glacial lakes
• 1:09
  Speaker 1: and prepare for potential evacuations. Rescue teams remain stretched thin.
• 1:15
  Speaker 1: Nepal's army and police are working to clear debris and
• 1:18
  Speaker 1: restore access to isolated villages, while helicopters continue to ferry
• 1:23
  Speaker 1: supplies to stranded survivors. International aid agencies warn that unstable
• 1:28
  Speaker 1: terrain and damaged roads are hampering relief efforts, leaving many
• 1:33
  Speaker 1: communities vulnerable if fresh floods strike. The humanitarian toll is
• 1:38
  Speaker 1: already severe. Families are still searching for missing loved ones,
• 1:42
  Speaker 1: including hundreds of foreign nationals caught in the disaster. Relief
• 1:46
  Speaker 1: camps are overcrowded, and medical teams are battling outbreaks of
• 1:51
  Speaker 1: waterborne disease. The prospect of new floods has heightened anxiety
• 1:55
  Speaker 1: among survivors, many of whom have lost homes and livelihoods.
• 2:00
  Speaker 1: Scientists say the crisis underscores the growing risks of climate
• 2:04
  Speaker 1: change in the Himalayas, where rising temperatures accelerate glacial melt
• 2:09
  Speaker 1: and destabilize mountain ecosystems. Glacial lake outburst floods, known as gloths,
• 2:15
  Speaker 1: are becoming more frequent, threatening millions across Nepal, Tibet, Bhutan,
• 2:20
  Speaker 1: and northern India. For now, authorities in both Nepal and
• 2:25
  Speaker 1: China are urging vigilance. Evacuation plans are being updated, monitoring
• 2:30
  Speaker 1: stations are on high alert, and residents downstream of vulnerable
• 2:34
  Speaker 1: lakes have been told to prepare for sudden emergencies. The
• 2:37
  Speaker 1: warnings highlight the fragile balance between human settlement and the
• 2:42
  Speaker 1: volatile forces of nature in one of the world's most
• 2:45
  Speaker 1: climate-sensitive regions.