Seismic Soundoff

Professors Kirsten Nicholson and Klaus Neumann lead a Geoscientists without Borders (GWB) project to find safe drinking water for two communities in the Sagarmatha National Park, Nepal. This country most famously is home to the world's favorite trekking destination - the Himalayans. Even though this area is popular with tourists, it struggles with adequate drinking water. Diseases due to unsafe water are some of the most common causes of death, with diarrheal disease accounting for 4.2% of the global burden of diseases. The situation is far worse in less economically developed, semi-arid mountainous regions where communities experience poor health due to contaminated drinking water. At the same time, these high-altitude regions face increasing pressure caused by climate variability, impacting precipitation patterns, seasonal snowpack, and glacial growth. The issues surrounding long-term resource management and the reduction of water-related vulnerability are complex and rarely involve simple solutions. Larg