Pokhara (Central Nepal): A Dramatic Yet Geomorphologically Active Environment Versus a Dynamic, Rapidly Developing City

Abstract Pokhara (800 m), the second largest city in Nepal, lies south of the Annapurna Range (>8000 m) in the central part of the country. Built on an exceptionally broad, flat plain, it is a very attractive place for tourists, because it offers a wide variety of interests (lakes, caves, gorges, scenic glaciated mountains) related to its catastrophic geomorphological evolution. Both Himalayan tectonics and the monsoon climate, together with the late Quaternary, predominantly calcareous deposits underlying the Pokhara valley, are control factors of its complex development. Hence, this makes the city and its surroundings a potentially disaster-prone area, with increasing vulnerability due to its rapid growth in recent decades. We describe the environmental issues and natural hazards, such as giant landslides, large-scale floods, earthquakes, sinkhole collapse, and land subsidence, which appear to pose serious potential threats for the future of Pokhara.