‘El Nino will accelerate changes in the Himalayas’: Expert warns India to act after Nepal disaster

Kochi: In the wake of the catastrophic Nepal flood disaster, India must take extensive precautionary measures, warns Dr P S Sunil, Head of the Department of Geology and Geophysics at the School of Marine Sciences, Cochin University of Science and Technology (CUSAT). Dr Sunil, who has conducted long-term seismic studies in the Himalayas, is currently a member of a joint ISRO-NASA research project investigating earthquakes in the Himalayan region.

Speaking to Mathrubhumi in the context of the Nepal tragedy, Dr Sunil highlighted key vulnerabilities.

“We have witnessed the scale of the destruction in Nepal. Thousands of glaciers stretch across the Himalayan mountain range from Pakistan to Myanmar. As a result of climate change, many of these glaciers are melting rapidly, and some have even retreated. We are now entering a period driven by the impact of El Nino, which will cause snow and ice to melt even faster. The Himalayan terrain is composed of a mixture of ice and soil, making steep mountain slopes increasingly susceptible to landslides and avalanches,” he said.

Will the seismic map change?

“In 2023, cracks appeared in roads and houses across Joshimath in the Char Dham region, a destination visited by thousands of pilgrims every year. It was later discovered that this subsidence was caused by heavy rainfall in the preceding year, due to the sheer weight of accumulated water. This area lies directly along the pilgrimage route to Badrinath, which is frequented by pilgrims from all over, including Keralites.

“India's seismic hazard map categorises regions into different risk zones. Towards the end of last year, India reclassified the Himalayas under Zone VI, a high-intensity earthquake risk category, reflecting how much more serious the situation has become compared to the past. However, a subsequent decision was taken to freeze the new notification and maintain the old status quo. In light of the Nepal disaster, this decision requires immediate reconsideration,” he added.