Which glacier of Nepal among the following has been declared 'dead' in May 2025?

Question

Which glacier of Nepal among the following has been declared 'dead' in May 2025?

1. A. Khumbu Glacier
2. B. Yala Glacier (Correct answer)
3. C. Imja Glacier
4. D. More than one of the above

Correct Answer

Option B — Yala Glacier

Detailed Solution & Explanation

The correct answer is Yala Glacier.

Key Points

• The Yala Glacier in Nepal's Langtang region was formally declared 'dead' in May 2025, becoming the first glacier in Nepal — and only the third in the world — to receive such a memorial plaque, after Okjokull in Iceland and Ayoloco in Mexico.
• A glacier is declared 'dead' when it has shrunk so drastically that it no longer flows or accumulates mass, effectively ceasing to function as a glacier.
• Yala had lost roughly two-thirds of its area and retreated hundreds of metres since the 1970s, driven by accelerating warming across the Hindu Kush Himalaya.
• The Himalaya are often called the "Third Pole" because they hold the largest reserves of freshwater ice outside the polar regions, feeding the Ganga, Indus and Brahmaputra on which nearly two billion people depend.

Exam Tip

• link glacier retreat to GLOFs (Glacial Lake Outburst Floods), a recurring disaster-management theme in both BPSC and UPSC.

प्रश्न (हिन्दी में)

निम्नलिखित में से नेपाल के किस ग्लेशियर को मई 2025 में 'मृत' घोषित किया गया?

1. A. खुम्बु ग्लेशियर
2. B. याला ग्लेशियर
3. C. इम्जा ग्लेशियर
4. D. उपरोक्त में से एक से अधिक