The water level in Imja Lake, one of the fastest-growing and potentially dangerous glacial lakes in high altitude regions, will be lowered by more than three metres by the end of this year to reduce the outburst risks.

The Department of Hydrology and Meteorology on Friday signed a letter of agreement with the Engineering Department of Nepal Army to lower the water level of Imja glacial lake that is located at an altitude of 5,010 metres.

The attempt at releasing water from the lake situated in Solukhumbu district is a key component of the ongoing Community Based Flood and Glacial Lake Outburst Risk Reduction Project (CFGORRP) being implemented by the department with technical and financial support from the United Nations Development Programme and the Global Environment Facility. Imja is believed to be 149.8 metres deep with 75 million cubic metre water.

The $7.2 million project aims to reduce the loss of human lives and physical infrastructure from a glacial lake outburst flooding in Solukhumbu and the downstream Tarai and Churia districts of Mahottari, Siraha, Saptari and Udaypur. An estimated 96,562 vulnerable people are expected to directly benefit from the project.

Under the CFGORRP, the authorities have completed a detailed design for releasing the water through controlled drainage in 2015, along with installation of 15 community-based early warning systems comprising manual river gauges, handheld sirens and mikes in strategic locations along the 50km stretch downstream of the Imja/Dudhkoshi river corridor.

In 2000 in Dolakha district, Tsho Rolpa, another critical glacial lake that threatened to burst anytime by breaking its unstable moraine dam, was reduced by three metres with the help of a 70m long canal that channelled water into the Rolwaling river.