"As an early partner in advancing cryosphere science in the Hindu Kush Himalaya region, Norway has helped lay the foundation for critical data collection at sites like Yala Glacier. While these efforts have greatly improved our understanding and monitoring capacity, they also reveal a sobering reality, which is the rapid disappearance of glaciers. This knowledge is essential for shaping effective climate resilience strategies and supporting informed decision-making across the region."

“Yala Glacier is more than ice, it is a living archive of climate change. For decades, it has taught us how rising temperatures destabilise the Third Pole, and now it is vanishing before our eyes. Its loss is a wake-up call. Without making drastic reductions in emissions, glaciers across the Hindu Kush Himalaya will follow, jeopardising water, food, and energy security for nearly two billion people in the region. It is time for bold, immediate actions to protect what remains of our frozen lifelines.”

"As we witness Yala's dramatic retreat, we're not just losing ice - we're losing an irreplaceable scientific heritage that has guided adaptation efforts for millions who depend on these water sources. For over a decade, Yala Glacier has been more than a field site—it’s been the bedrock of Himalayan glaciology. Through our long-term monitoring and training programs, this glacier has educated entire generations of glaciologists from across the region. The knowledge gained here forms the foundation of our understanding of climate impacts in high mountain areas."

“Yala Glacier stands as a powerful testament to the profound impacts of climate change in the Himalayas and serves as a critical benchmark for glacier research in Nepal and beyond. The Department of Hydrology and Meteorology remains committed to enhancing monitoring systems, advancing scientific research, and implementing proactive measures to address glacier retreat and the growing risk of glacial lake outburst floods. We look forward to continued collaboration and greater investment to advance cryospheric science and support a resilient, sustainable future."

“Yala Glacier was the first glacier I visited. It was very large when I accompanied Prof. Kashima’s Glaciological Expedition to Nepal (GEN), Japan, in August 1991. At that time, I saw a massive ice mass at the terminus of the glacier, but by the time I returned in 2011 with the Master by Research in Glaciology students from Kathmandu University, that ice mass had already melted and formed a small pond.

Yala Glacier was the first glacier visited by many researchers from Nepal, Japan, Germany, and other countries. It has provided extensive scientific data since 1982 and serves as a training glacier for many researchers. It is now classified as a critically endangered glacier, and we need to think about and act to save this glacier, along with other similar glaciers in Nepal and around the world."

"As a field glaciologist, it is disheartening to witness the unprecedented negative changes occurring on glaciers across all the regions where we work in the Nepal Himalayas – from Mera, Changri, and Pokalde in the east, to Yala and Rikha Samba in the centre, and to the Tungling Glacier in the west. Specifically, the rapid retreat of the iconic Yala Glacier, located in the heart of the Nepal Himalayas, is a stark reminder that the planet’s health is deteriorating year by year, urging immediate action to control greenhouse gas emissions.”

“I was on Yala Glacier in April 2014, participating in the training workshop ‘Regional capacity building for glacier water resource assessments and monitoring in the Hindu Kush Himalaya’, organised by ICIMOD. That experience not only shaped my journey as a glaciologist but also introduced me to a glacier that has mentored many young scientists like me across the HKH region. Yala has long been a living classroom—an invaluable site for research and capacity building in a region where long-term glaciological records remain scarce.

Today, it’s heartbreaking to witness how fast Yala is vanishing. This glacier, once vibrant and full of scientific promise, is now rapidly wasting away and may disappear entirely in the near future. Yala is more than just ice; it is a symbol of what we are losing. Its decline is not an isolated event. It is one of many red flags signalling the large-scale degradation of Himalayan glaciers, which threatens ecosystems, escalates water insecurity, and increases the risk of glacial hazards. The consequences will be felt most severely by the millions of people downstream who depend on these fragile ice reserves. 

We are not just watching glaciers melt – we are watching warnings unfold.”