Nepal PM Demands Climate Action After Himalayan Disaster

Nepal’s Prime Minister Balendra Shah says last week’s deadly Himalayan flood should force the international community to confront the growing risks of climate change.

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not an ordinary flood

The flood in the Bhote Koshi River in Rasuwa district followed a glacial collapse on the China-Nepal border. At least 939 people died and nearly 4,500 remained missing. Kathmandu warned that rebuilding could cost billions of dollars.

Shah described the disaster as “not an ordinary” flood. He said an avalanche of snow and ice in the Himalayan region triggered what he called one of the area’s major disasters. The exact cause of the collapse remains unclear, but glaciers are melting worldwide as temperatures rise, increasing the risk of similar events.

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It is now time for us to strongly raise with the international community the issue of the disasters we are experiencing as a result of climate change

The prime minister said the incident showed that danger in the Himalayan region was growing alongside climate change and called for continued vigilance. He also argued that Nepal should raise the issue internationally. The largely rural country has a population of about 30 million and has contributed little to the emissions associated with global warming, yet it is facing the consequences.

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rooftops of the world are caving in

The wider Himalayan and Hindu Kush ranges provide water for about 240 million people in mountainous areas and another 1.65 billion people in the river valleys of South and Southeast Asia. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned during a 2023 visit to Nepal that rapidly melting glaciers were causing the “rooftops of the world” to cave in. UN climate chief Simon Stiell later called the disaster a devastating reminder of the vulnerability of mountain environments. Nepal’s limited resources are already under pressure as it responds to the catastrophe.

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devastating reminder of how fragile these mountain environments can be