Glacial lakes and flood risk in the Hindu Kush‑HimalayaCEFR A1
12 Oct 2025
Adapted from Qian Sun, Global Voices • CC BY 3.0
Photo by Huzaifa Ginwala, Unsplash
- The Hindu Kush‑Himalaya region has many mountain glaciers.
- These glaciers store large amounts of fresh water.
- As the climate warms, glaciers begin to melt.
- Melting ice makes new glacial lakes in mountains.
- A natural dam can break and cause a flood.
- A GLOF is a sudden flood called "inland tsunami".
- GLOFs have caused deaths in India, Pakistan, Nepal, China.
- Predicting these floods is very difficult now.
- Political tensions make sharing water data hard.
Difficult words
- lake — A large area of water surrounded by land.lakes
- dangerous — Something that can hurt people or cause problems.
- burst — To break open suddenly.
- flood — A large amount of water that covers land.floods
- homes — Places where people live.
- data — Facts or information used for study.
- tools — Devices or items used to help do something.
Tip: hover, focus or tap highlighted words in the article to see quick definitions while you read or listen.
Discussion questions
- Why do you think people do not share data about lakes?
- How can tools help keep people safe near lakes?
- Have you ever seen a lake? What was it like?
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