This publication describes the results of a systematic and comprehensive study of the status of glacial lakes and glacial lake outburst flood (GLOF) risk in Nepal, including the vulnerability of downstream people and property and field studies of three of the most critical lakes. The assessment is intended to provide information for use in GLOF risk management in Nepal, as well as describing a detailed stepwise approach and methodology that can be applied throughout the Hindu Kush-Himalayan region. Region-wide cooperation is needed to develop a more coordinated approach and lay the foundations for a glacial lake outburst risk reduction policy. The report outlines a stepwise approach to assessment of risk beginning with an extensive desk study of aerial photographs and satellite images that provided the first reconnaissance mapping of more than a thousand glacial lakes.













