Nepali Prime Minister Balendra Shah has called last week’s deadly Himalayan flood an extraordinary disaster linked to the growing risks of climate change. The massive flood swept through the Bhote Koshi River in Rasuwa after a glacial collapse near the China-Nepal border. The disaster killed at least 939 people and left nearly 4,500 others missing.
Shah warned that rebuilding could cost billions of dollars. He also urged the international community to recognise the growing climate risks facing Himalayan countries.
“The flood in the Bhote Koshi River in Rasuwa was not an ordinary flood,” Shah said in a social media post on Monday.
He described the disaster as one of the region’s major catastrophes. According to Shah, an avalanche of snow and ice in the Himalayan region triggered the devastating event.
Climate Change Raises Himalayan Risks
Scientists have warned that rising global temperatures are accelerating glacier melt across the world. The Himalayas have also experienced faster melting in recent years.
The exact cause of the glacial collapse remains unclear. However, the increasing loss of ice has raised concerns about the risk of floods and other climate-related disasters in mountain regions.
Shah said the latest disaster showed how climate change could increase risks across the Himalayan region. He urged authorities and communities to remain vigilant.
Nepal has contributed relatively little to global greenhouse gas emissions. However, the country faces serious consequences from global warming.
The largely rural nation has limited resources to manage disasters of this scale. The latest flood has added further pressure to its already struggling economy.
Nepal Seeks International Support
Shah said Nepal must raise the issue of climate-related disasters at the international level. He called for stronger attention to the challenges faced by vulnerable Himalayan countries.
The Himalayan and Hindu Kush ranges provide a vital source of water for hundreds of millions of people. Around 240 million people live in the mountainous areas, while another 1.65 billion depend on rivers flowing into South and Southeast Asia.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres highlighted similar concerns during a visit to Nepal in 2023. He warned that rapidly melting glaciers were putting the region at growing risk.
UN climate chief Simon Stiell also described the latest disaster as a warning about the vulnerability of mountain environments.
For Nepal, the disaster has highlighted a difficult reality. The country faces the consequences of a warming planet while having limited financial resources to recover from increasingly severe climate events.
