Rasuwa, August 26, 2026 — A glacial lake outburst in Tibet may have been the main trigger behind Wednesday’s devastating flood in Rasuwa, with the suspected lake located about 26 kilometres north of the Nepal-China border, meteorologist Ujwal Upadhyay has estimated.
Upadhyay said at least one of three glacial lakes in the Tibetan area could have suddenly released a large volume of water. However, he stressed that the exact cause of the disaster cannot be confirmed until satellite imagery and other geographic data are examined in greater detail.
According to his preliminary assessment, a landslide may have blocked a river and created a temporary natural dam. If a glacial lake subsequently burst, the resulting surge of water and debris could have overwhelmed the temporary blockage and intensified the flood as it moved downstream.
Upadhyay said analysis of satellite images and additional geographical information should provide a clearer picture of how the disaster occurred.
He also warned that downstream communities could remain at risk because the temporary landslide dam may not have completely broken apart. Water and debris could still be held upstream and potentially move downstream if the remaining blockage fails.
