20/09/2026
Gorkha Youths Begin Hunger Strike at Manaslu Base Camp for Climate Justice
The NTW Trekking News
September 20, 2026
GORKHA, Nepal — In an extraordinary protest staged at nearly 4,900 metres above sea level, 11 young people from Samagaun in Gorkha's Chumnubri Rural Municipality–1 have begun an indefinite hunger strike at Manaslu Base Camp, demanding stronger action against the growing risks associated with climate change.
Led by local youth Dhawa Norbu Lama, the protesters say they are not acting for personal interests. They want the authorities to address the increasing danger posed by glacial lakes and protect communities living in the high mountains as well as downstream settlements. The group began the hunger strike on September 18 and says it will continue until its demands are addressed.
The protest follows growing concern over glacial lakes in the Manaslu and Chum Valley region. The youths have submitted an eight-point memorandum calling for aerial inspection and scientific assessment of lakes around Pungen, Birendra Lake, Kal Tal, Ghunsarphuk and the high-altitude lakes around Nyochuthang. They are demanding measurements of lake depth, water levels and potential risks of glacial lake outburst floods (GLOFs).
They have also called for water-level monitoring systems and warning sirens capable of alerting residents before dangerous flooding reaches settlements. Another demand is coordinated monitoring of glacial lakes and glaciers on both sides of the Nepal–China border where lakes in Tibet could potentially threaten communities in Nepal.
Their concerns are supported by recent scientific research. A 2025 study of Birendra Lake found that the lake expanded substantially as the surrounding glacier retreated. Researchers also modelled possible GLOF scenarios and found that a severe outburst could affect buildings and infrastructure downstream. The region experienced a smaller GLOF from Birendra Lake in April 2024.
The youths are also demanding that climate-change impacts and disaster preparedness be incorporated into the curriculum of schools in mountain communities. They have urged Nepal to pursue greater international climate compensation and climate justice, arguing that Himalayan communities are experiencing serious consequences despite Nepal's relatively small contribution to global greenhouse-gas emissions.
Their protest places a powerful local voice at the centre of a much wider global climate debate: the people living closest to the changing glaciers are increasingly demanding that the world listen to what they are seeing on the ground.
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