Bhotekoshi flood ‘serious signal’ of rising climate risks, says Nepal PM Shah urging global action
Nepal PM Balendra Shah on Wednesday described the catastrophic Bhotekoshi River flood of August 26 as a stark warning of escalating climate risks in the Himalayan region, urging the international community to share responsibility for tackling the growing impact of climate change.Addressing Parliament, Shah said experts had identified the disaster as one of the largest in the region, as being caused by an avalanche of snow and rock in the high Himalayas. He said the scale of the devastation showed that countries in the Himalayan region were facing increasing risks alongside the effects of climate change.“This is a serious signal that, alongside climate change, the risks we must bear in the Himalayan region are increasing,” Shah said. He called for Nepal to forcefully present before the international community the disasters it is suffering due to climate change.“Climate change is a product of the whole world’s contribution; mitigating and managing its effects is the shared responsibility of the global community,” Shah said, stressing the need for international cooperation to address the consequences of a changing climate.Death toll reaches 1,127The flood struck riverside settlements in Rasuwa district on the morning of August 26 and rapidly affected neighbouring areas, including Nuwakot and Dhading. The disaster has left a massive human and economic toll, with 3,916 people still out of contact and 1,127 bodies recovered, according to the latest figures presented by Nepali Police.A total of 11,993 people have been rescued, while 292 injured people were admitted to hospitals, of whom 182 have since been discharged, news agency ANI reported.Climate risks expose Himalayan vulnerabilityThe disaster has also caused extensive damage to critical infrastructure. Eight operating hydropower projects with a combined capacity of 281 MW and four projects under construction with a capacity of 388 MW were damaged, disrupting 431.1 MW of generation capacity.Major sections of the Galchhi-Betrawati-Rasuwagadhi road and the Prithvi Highway were destroyed or heavily damaged, along with 48 suspension bridges and 31 motorable bridges.As search operations continue for those still missing, the disaster has emerged as a stark reminder of the vulnerability of Himalayan communities and infrastructure to increasingly severe climate-related risks.
