Mountain people are also particularly vulnerable to other natural hazards, such as volcanic eruptions, avalanches, floods and earthquakes, even without the risk from GLOFs.

UNESCO: 83e

While GLOFs are not a new phenomenon, according to UNEP, there is evidence that they are becoming more common as glaciers retreat, putting in danger the towns and villages that lie beneath them.

UNESCO: 83e

In the Himalayas alone, some 44 glacier lakes are filling so rapidly that they could burst their debris retaining walls in the next four or five years, in what are known as 'glacial lake outburst floods' (GLOFs).

UNESCO: 83e