Bhutan paying for others environmental damage
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Punakha, Bhutan: High in the Himalayas, an icy lake fed by melting glaciers waits to become a tsunami from the sky. The lake is swollen dangerously past normal levels, thanks to the global warming that is causing the glaciers to retreat at record speed.
But no one knows when the tipping point will come and the lake can take no more, bursting its banks and sending torrents of water crashing into the valley below.
Such floods from above have hit Punakha, Bhutan, before. But scientists say a new flood could unleash more than twice as much water and be far more catastrophic. Because of Earths rising temperatures, at least 25 glacial lakes in Bhutan are at risk of overflowing and dumping their contents into the narrow valleys where much of the countrys population lives. An environmentally conscious nation Like many poor countries, isolated Bhutan is paying for the environmental damage wrought by the developed world and the expanding economies of nations such as China and India. But the added, perhaps more bitter, irony here is that Bhutan probably has done more to safeguard its environment than almost any other country. A land of breathtaking vistas, little pollution and great biodiversity, Bhutan regards conservation as one of its most important public-policy goals. Sustainable development is the official mantra. By law, the countrys forest cover must never drop below 60%. This country is committed to being conducive to environmental sustainability and not to be harmful to the world, but the impact of climate change is coming anyway, said Doley Tshering of the United Nations Development Program office in Thimphu. You know you havent created the problem, (yet) you know youre having the worst of it, he said. Some shifting weather patterns are already being felt. "The winters are not so cold. The hot season is arriving much earlier," Tshering said. "Even fruit trees that would not fruit in Thimphu, that people just planted as ornamental flowers, are now starting to fruit." Less benign are diseases such as malaria and dengue fever, common in the lower-lying, warmer south, which are now appearing at higher altitudes. Officials are also worried that any changes to Bhutans monsoon season could deal a blow to agriculture, the main source of income for about 70% of the countrys population. But possibly the most dramatic effect of global warming on Bhutan can be seen in its glaciers or, perhaps more accurately, not seen. A deluge in waiting Experts estimate that Bhutans glaciers are retreating by as much as 100 feet annually. The loss has grave consequences for the countrys long-term development, because Bhutan relies heavily on selling hydroelectric power. Of more immediate concern is the risk of floods from fast-filling glacial lakes. In 1994, the Luggye lake burst and sent water hurtling down into Punakha. Now, a neighbouring lake, the Thorthormi, poses an even greater peril. Fed by a separate glacier, the Thorthormi has bulked up to alarming size and is in danger of swamping a third body of water, the Raphstreng. In a nightmare scenario, the two lakes could merge, punch through the natural but unstable moraine dams holding them back and go cascading into the valley, picking up debris as they thunder downhill. A 2002 study estimated that such a rupture could send 14 billion gallons of water barreling toward Punakha, though not all of it would reach the valley. Still, that is more than double the amount released in the 94 deluge and about the same volume that plunges over the top of Niagara Falls in five hours. To try to prevent such a catastrophic flood, the government is set to embark on a four-year, $7-million project to relieve some of the pressure on the Thorthormi. The effort is fraught with difficulty. The lake is reachable only after 10 days hiking and only through 16,000-foot-high mountain passes from all directions. Hauling major equipment there, let alone getting it to work in the thin, frigid air, is so tricky that digging the channels to siphon off water from the lake will have to be done mostly by hand. Weather conditions allow for work barely six months of the year. "There is a sense of helplessness," said Tshering. "But at the same time, you can't sit back and do nothing about it." Source: The Indian Express, Los Angeles Times |
User comments
"environment crisis."Author:
tashi topgyal
Time: 29.04.2008 15:09
Comment: bhutan is one of the most environment caring country in the world. but unfortunately its in between two most polluting country in the world i.e india and china. they never care for world and even today they never show interest in environment protection.i hope these countries will only realise the important of environment when they will face problem like london smog and los angeles smog.good luck to india and china for your polluted future.
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