Photographer Nabin Baral documents dramatic changes over a decade in the Manang valley – home to the world-famous Annapurna trek
Change is inevitable. The world is being transformed by climate change and human development. But these changes are more dramatic in the Nepali Himalayas, where temperatures are rising much faster than the global average.
The Manang valley lies close to the Nepal-Tibet border, at an altitude of over 3,500 metres. It is surrounded by the majestic snow-capped mountains of the Annapurna massif. Most of the Annapurna circuit, one of the world’s most famous trekking trails, lies in the Manang valley. Due to rising temperatures, the glaciers around the valley are melting. The landscape has also changed since the road connecting Besisahar to the valley was finished five years ago.
I have been travelling to the Manang valley over the past decade and these photographs document the stark changes taking place in this vulnerable Himalayan landscape.
Changing Gangapurna glacier
The Gangapurna glacier is an important glacier in the valley. Swiss geologist and explorer, Toni Hagen, took a historic photo of the glacier in 1957. The photo shows small lakes made by melting glaciers. Local people say that six decades ago the Gangapurna glacier reached the place where the lake has now formed from the melting glacier. Now the glacier has retreated many metres away. The beautiful lake is one of the major tourist attractions in Manang valley.
