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The changing climate in the 20th and 21st centuries has had a profound impact on glacial lake formation and downwasting. The rapid receding of glaciers due to increased atmospheric temperature has caused glacial lake outburst floods (GLOFs) in the nival-glacial belt region on the northern slopes of the Kyrgyz mountain range over the last 20 years. Catastrophic events downstream due to GLOFs are increasing in this region and could affect the natural environment, human lives, and property. This study aims to evaluate the spatial distribution and growth of glacial lakes on the northern slopes of the Kyrgyz range using semiautomated remote sensing and field techniques. We recorded 273 glacial lakes and examined the characteristics of 5 small GLOFs that occurred between 2000 and 2012 due to moraine collapse. Further, the findings highlight alarmingly rapid changes and a high probability that these lakes will burst soon. Remote sensing, geographic information system, and statistical techniques combined with field-based knowledge are effective in identifying and monitoring the catastrophic nature of GLOFs on the northern slopes of the Kyrgyz range. The study recommends creating a spatial database inventory of both glacial lakes and GLOFs in the region using high-resolution satellite images and in-situ field techniques.

The purpose of the "State of Environment: Kathmandu Valley, Kathmandu Nepal: A Special Review", is to examine the current status of the environment of the Kathmandu Valley and the suburban areas of Kathmandu, Lalitpur, and Bhaktapur districts. The Articles analyses the emerging environmental problems and promotes specific recommendations for future action. The analysis also examines various problem and pressures due to population pressure and environmental changes happening with an alarming speed. This analysis presents an alarming picture of a rapidly deteriorating environment. The paper summarizes the policy gaps, analyses and identifies a number of measures for amelioration of existing problems and prevention of future environmental deterioration in the Kathmandu Valley.Key words: Environment; Kathmandu Valley; Suburban areaDOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3126/jie.v8i1-2.5103Journal of the Institute of Engineering Vol. 8, No. 1&2, 2010/2011Page: 126-137Uploaded Date: 20 July, 2011

Crop stage-specific information on the impacts of projected climate change on crop and irrigation water requirements are essential for improving productivity. This study investigated the possible implications of projected climate change on the phenology, effective rainfall (Peff), crop (CWR) and irrigation water requirements (IWR) of maize in eight locations in India. CWR, Peff and IWR were estimated for seven crop stages viz., emergence, 5th leaf stage, tasseling, silking, milking, dough and maturity during the baseline (1980–2009) and near-century (2022–39) using climate data derived from a subset of 29 general circulation models. The results indicated that mean seasonal maximum temperature, minimum temperature and rainfall were projected to increase in all the locations. Hence, the total crop duration (3–7 days), CWR (8–69 mm) and IWR (1–54 mm) were projected to decrease. The study could identify the specific stages in which the greatest reduction in crop duration, CWR and IWR would occur. Such information will be of immense help to farmers and varietal improvement programs in the study regions in the near future.

Naryn basin, which has the largest river catchment area in Kyrgyz Republic and many mountain glaciers, is a huge ‘water tower’ for Kyrgyz Republic and Uzbekistan. Thus, the behavior of its glaciers has a large impact on water resources for the arid flat plain below, providing water for residents, irrigation, and energy in Kyrgyz Republic and Central Asia. We investigated the recent glacier condition in the Naryn basin (Chon Naryn and Kichi Naryn catchments) using topographic maps of 1:25,000 scale and ALOS/AVNIR-2 satellite imagery. For the 45-year period 1965–2010, glacier area decreased by 17.4% in the Akshyirak massif, and by 20.8% in the Borkoldoy, 21.9% in the Jetim, 24.6% in the Jetimbel, 28.9% in the Naryn, 20.8% in the Sook, 20.9% in the Teskey (south-slope glaciers), and 17.8% in the Uchemchek mountain ranges. The dramatic shrinkage was greater for south-facing than for north-facing glaciers, with respective area losses of 23.6 and 19.8%. The glacier shrinkage might affect not only irrigation water withdrawals during summer but also the planning of four cascade power stations to be constructed in the Chon Naryn and Kichi Naryn catchments.