Tsho Rolpa | |
---|---|
Cho Rolpa | |
Location | Rolwaling Valley, Dolakha District,[1] Nepal |
Coordinates | [ ⚑ ] : 27°52′N 86°28′E / 27.867°N 86.467°E |
Type | glacial lake |
Max. length | 3.45 kilometres (2.14 mi)[1] |
Max. width | 0.5 kilometres (0.31 mi)[1] |
Surface area | 1.537 square kilometres (0.593 sq mi)[1] |
Average depth | 55 metres (180 ft) |
Max. depth | 270 metres (890 ft) |
Water volume | 85,940,000 cubic metres (3.035×109 cu ft)[1] |
Surface elevation | 4,580 metres (15,030 ft) |
Tsho Rolpa (also Cho Rolpa) is one of the biggest glacial lakes in Nepal. The lake, which is located at an altitude of 4,580 metres (15,030 ft) in the Rolwaling Valley, Dolakha District, has grown considerably over the last 50 years due to glacial melting in the Himalayas.[2][1]
The lake threatens to burst through its unstable dam, which would threaten the lives and livestock of over 6000 villagers living around the Tamakoshi River.[2][3] In 2012, the UNDP reported that an early warning system installed by the authorities in the late 1990s, which became defunct through lack of maintenance, will be replaced by a more modern warning system for glacial floods from the lake.[4][3]