Before Deadly Floods, Nepal Asked China for Early Warnings as Risks Mounted

Three months before a wall of water, mud and rock killed hundreds in a Himalayan valley near the Nepal-China border, officials from both countries met in Kathmandu to discuss the risks. The May 27 meeting focused on floods, extreme weather and hazards linked to glaciers in the region.

Ten Nepalese officials and about a dozen Chinese representatives attended, including officials from Tibet, where the disaster occurred. An agenda prepared by Nepal called for joint risk-reduction measures, including inventories of glacial lakes and maps identifying hazardous areas.

But two Nepalese officials told Reuters that they did not receive as much information as they had sought after the meeting. They said limited data sharing could make it harder to anticipate and prepare for major disasters. Sauhardra Joshi, a hydrologist who attended the meeting, said Nepal wanted advance information about early glacier movements and changes in the surrounding area.

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What we actually wanted from them, and still want, is if there are early movements of glaciers and early movements around that area, we would want to know a bit early.

Nepalese officials said the priority was to deepen cooperation with China, and no official or expert blamed either side for the natural disaster. Recovery is expected to cost an amount equal to about one-tenth of Nepal’s annual economic output. China’s Foreign Ministry did not respond to requests for comment on the meeting or Nepal’s request for more information.

A Chinese embassy statement in Nepal said the two countries had remained in close contact and had made “substantial progress” at the May meeting on cross-border disaster information sharing. Nepalese officials said Chinese representatives had told them they lacked authority to sign an agreement addressing Nepal’s requests and wanted further discussions.

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substantial progress