College of Arts and Sciences Newsroom
UD professor among team publishing findings from catastrophic Himalayan flood
New findings from an international team of 34 scientists, including University of Dayton professor Umesh Haritashya, reveal the causes and impacts of a catastrophic flood that struck the Himalayan region in October 2023.
The study, published in the leading journal Science, highlights how climate change and unstable mountain conditions are creating significant risks for communities.
“The October 2023 flood demonstrates the urgent need to rethink disaster preparedness and climate resilience in vulnerable mountain regions,” said Haritashya, whose research focuses on glacial lakes and other interdisciplinary climate and natural hazard related issues.
Haritashya and Ashim Sattar, lead author, assistant professor at IIT Bhubaneswar and Haritashya’s former postdoctoral student at UD, published a study in 2021, funded by their NASA grant, that highlighted the potential hazard of outbursts from this lake.
“When we wrote this paper, we hoped this destruction would never happen, but sadly, it's becoming more common,” Haritashya said.
The 2023 massive landslide into South Lhonak Lake in northern India created a 20-meter tsunami-like wave that breached the lake’s moraine dam and released 50 million cubic meters of water — equivalent to 20,000 Olympic-sized swimming pools.
The flood swept more than 385 kilometers (240 miles) downstream, destroying hydropower plants, roads and bridges. It killed 55 people and left more than 70 missing.
The research team used satellite imagery and advanced modeling to reconstruct the event. Their findings showed early warning signs; the dam had been shifting by more than 15 meters (50 feet) annually since 2016.
The report emphasizes the need for stronger early warning systems, stricter regulations for hydropower projects and more resilient infrastructure. The researchers warn similar disasters will become more frequent without proactive measures as climate change accelerates glacial melt and destabilizes permafrost.
“The threat of these catastrophic glacial lake outburst flood events is growing, urging us to act with urgency in protecting both our environment and communities in the Himalaya and similar regions around the world,” Sattar said.