An early flood warning system designed to save the lives of thousands of people in the Everest region may no longer be working, Nepalese officials have admitted to the BBC, after it was allowed to fall into a state of disrepair.
The disclosure came after villagers in the local Sherpa communities told the BBC no inspection of the UN-supported project had been carried out for many years after the dangerous Imja glacial lake was last drained in 2016.
Since then, no maintenance has been undertaken, which means siren towers have been left to rust, while some have even had their batteries stolen, according to locals.
Furthermore, the satellite data reception transmitting the lake's water level - which can then be used to send out mobile phone alerts to locals - has been unreliable, officials at Nepal's Department of Hydrology and Meteorology (DHM) told the BBC.
The Imja lake, which sits at a little over 5,000m (16,400ft) above sea level, has not burst since it was drained a decade ago - at which point, it was almost 150m deep in places.
Back then, the depth of the lake was reduced by about 3.5m as part of a $3.5m risk reduction project, which included the early warning system.
However, scientists warn global warming-induced rapid melting glaciers are causing many Himalayan glacial lakes to expand dangerously - meaning they can burst out and sweep away downstream settlements, trekking routes, and bridges.
In the Everest region alone, there have been at least five floods from glacial lakes in the last five decades, leaving those living in Imja lake's path fearing for the future.
Going by the state of the siren towers, we don't expect to get any flood warning from them even when Imja lake bursts out, said Ang Nuru Sherpa, chairman of the Chaurikharka buffer zone area adjoining Sagarmatha National Park.
Experts note that the lack of maintenance has left the residents who depend on the warning system feeling exposed to the risks of potential disasters.
Despite a multi-million dollar investment aimed to protect the locals, community members argue that the resources have not been utilized properly. They spent millions of dollars in the name of protecting us from potential disaster - but we are having to live with fear of loss of lives and property every day, remarked Nawang Thome Sherpa, head of a local body in Phakding, another vulnerable village downstream from Imja lake.
Officials recognize the challenges, indicating that funding issues and shifting priorities have hampered efforts to maintain the early warning system. With a new tumultuous climate reality, immediate action is needed to secure both lives and livelihoods in the region.
