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Original article: Un riesgo ya identificado en la cordillera chilena: WWF llama a prevenir ahora las inundaciones glaciares tras tragedia en Nepal

WWF Calls for Proactive Measures Against Glacier Flooding Risks Identified in Chile Following Nepal Tragedy

The devastating flood that struck northern Nepal near the Tibetan border, leaving at least 160 dead and hundreds missing, should raise national awareness «with a focus on the cordillera,» warned the international organization WWF Chile.

The NGO pointed out that, «while the country currently does not face a comparable level of threat, the underlying phenomenon of rapidly retreating glaciers due to climate change, which are forming increasingly larger and unstable lakes, has also been identified in Chile, even in the central region, requiring ongoing monitoring and preventative efforts.»

Initially, the Nepalese government attributed the disaster to a 4.4 magnitude earthquake that allegedly triggered a landslide and released water from a glacial lake. However, international scientists have proposed an alternative explanation, suggesting that what was recorded as an earthquake might actually have been an ice avalanche.

As of now, there is no consensus on the exact cause, «although the area had already experienced a similar episode in 2025 confirmed as a GLOF, which stands for Glacier Lake Outburst Flood,» highlighted WWF Chile.

“We still do not know for sure what triggered this tragedy, but we do know that the devastated location is one of the areas on the planet with the highest retreating glaciers, and this amplifies the risks from ice avalanches, earthquakes that destabilize slopes, or breaking glacial lakes,” explained Uri Colodro, WWF’s Global Cities Leader and Climate Change and Cities Coordinator.

“Regardless of the exact cause, we know that climate change is an important factor in these types of disasters, contributing not only to their origin but also increasing their intensity and destructive power,” emphasized Colodro.

Identified Risk in the Chilean Andes

WWF noted that what happened in Nepal is not an exclusive phenomenon to Asia.

“Various studies from national universities show, for example, that the Echaurren Norte glacier, in the Metropolitan Region, has lost 65% of its surface area since 1955 (U. de Chile), while the Universidad glacier lost in one year a volume of water equivalent to the annual consumption of a city of 580 thousand inhabitants (U. de O’Higgins),” the NGO detailed.

Similarly, other assessments, such as those from the Regional Hydroclimatic Program for the Andes, show that there are glaciers highly susceptible to experiencing a GLOF in the central region: “As they melt faster, glaciers form lakes confined by ice barriers or moraines that can collapse due to an earthquake, avalanche, or heavy rainfall; the same mechanism under discussion in Nepal.”

And although no GLOF has been recorded in Chile with casualties, mainly due to the remoteness of these areas, this situation is changing with the expansion of various activities, such as mountain tourism, infrastructure development, and settlements encroaching on these regions,” WWF stated.

“What we observed in Nepal is a reflection of a risk already identified in Chile’s cordillera. As the risk grows with climate change, the exposure of people also increases. Promoting more concrete adaptation actions is an urgent necessity today,” added Uri Colodro.

For WWF Chile, this episode adds to a trend the country is already experiencing. For weeks, the Super El Niño has impacted the central-southern region, amid prolonged droughts, several consecutive years of massive wildfires, and heat waves.

For this reason, the organization emphasizes the need to strengthen adaptation efforts, facing the reality that less than a third of Chilean municipalities have Community Climate Action Plans (PACCC).

“Solutions exist but require investment and political will: early warning systems, glacier monitoring, watershed restoration, wetland protection, and other Nature-Based Solutions, in addition to spatial planning that prevents human settlements from expanding into risk areas, are steps that Chile can take now, before we continue lamenting the increasing impacts of the climate crisis in a highly vulnerable country,” concluded Colodro.

We will continue to provide updates.
In the cover photo: Rescuers use an excavator to safely transport a flood victim along the Trishuli River in Nuwakot District, Nepal. Credits: @Niranjan Shrestha

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