#floods

What happened: A peer-reviewed study in Scientific Reports found built-up land in high-risk zones of northern Nepal, south-eastern Tibet and part of India's Uttarakhand grew about 45% between 2016 and 2023, the BBC reported on Oct. 28. In areas threatened by glacial lake floods, development rose almost 78%. Nine researchers from the UK, Nepal and India looked at land up to 50 km downstream of rivers and around about 1,360 glacial lakes.

Why it matters: The authors say at least 300,000 people now live in harm's way, and likely more. The study was done before August's floods in Nepal, which left more than 1,400 dead, and in Rasuwa district locals say the river rose 70 metres in places, well beyond the study's 50-metre risk line.

How much agreement is there? Broad agreement on the risk. Local officials and hotel owners interviewed agree tourism grew "without any proper planning"; the hard part, Pokhara's mayor says, is where to move existing buildings.

Could someone help? Trekkers and travel companies can favor lodges built away from riverbanks, and researchers can share flood-risk maps with local planners.