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Nepal: In the shadow of a glacier

The 1000-year-old Himalayan community now facing an existential threat from climate change.

As Nepal deals with the aftermath of devastating floods, there have been renewed warnings about the impact of climate change on the Himalayas. As temperatures have risen, glaciers across the region have shrunk and the landscape has become more unstable.
Antonia Bolingbroke-Kent reports from one remote Nepalese mountain community that faces an existential threat from a melting glacier. The ancient village of Halji, near the Tibetan border, is home to a thousand year-old Buddhist monastery, one of the oldest in Nepal.
But high above the village, meltwater has created glacial lakes . In 2011, parts of the village were destroyed when a glacial lake burst and sent a torrent of water and rocks down the valley. Other communities in the area have abandoned their homes, yet here villagers remain. So why are they determined to stay? And can the community survive the dangers of this changing climate?

Presented by Antonia Bolingbroke-Kent
Produced by Alex Last
Sound Mix: James Beard
Production Co-ordinator: Gemma Ashman
Series Editor: Penny Murphy

Release date:

29 minutes

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