Glacial Lakes and Flood Risk in the Hindu Kush–HimalayaCEFR A1
2 Oct 2025
Adapted from Qian Sun, Global Voices • CC BY 3.0
Photo by Tanveer Mazhar, Unsplash
- The Hindu Kush-Himalaya loses ice fast.
- Scientists say up to 75% of glacier volume could vanish.
- Meltwater makes new glacial lakes.
- Since 1990 glacial lakes have grown worldwide.
- They feed rivers like the Indus and Brahmaputra.
- Sometimes lakes cause Glacial Lake Outburst Floods (GLOFs).
- GLOFs destroy homes, farmland and infrastructure.
- High Mountain Asia has about 9.3 million people at risk.
Difficult words
- glacier — A large mass of ice that moves.Glaciers
- melt — To turn from solid into liquid.melting, melts
- lake — A large body of water surrounded by land.lakes
- flood — An overflow of water over land.floods
- destroy — To damage something completely.
- risk — Exposure to danger or harm.
Tip: hover, focus or tap highlighted words in the article to see quick definitions while you read or listen.
Discussion questions
- How do you think melting glaciers affect people?
- What can be done to help those at risk?
- Why is it important to protect our environment?
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