About 100 cycles, 65 rickshaws and activists representing various environmental organisations went through the streets of Kathmandu 19 April calling for a cleaner environment. But their once-a-year sloganeering may not be enough to save the Himalaya and the people of Nepal.

Experts warn that the temperature in the Nepal Himalaya is rising at an alarming rate, heightening the danger that glacial lakes may experience flood outbursts that could devastate entire villages. According to the inventory prepared by the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD), there are over 7,000 glacial lakes in the Hindu-Kush Himalayan region, 3,000 of which are located in Nepal. What is more alarming is that 26 of these glacial lakes are continuing to grow in size, fuelling the possibilities of outbursts and flooding.

Studies by the Department of Hydrology and Meteorology show that the temperature in the mountains is rising at 0.03 degree Celsius per year, meaning there will be a temperature rise of 12 degree Celsius in the Himalaya in the next century. The rate of warming is more than double the global average?anywhere between 1.4 degrees and 5.8 degrees Celsius over the next 100 years?calculated by the United Nations. The rate of temperature rise calculated for the mid-hills and the tarai is 0.03 degree and 0.06 degree Celsius per year, respectively.