The massive glacial tsunami that central Nepal witnessed last Wednesday is a stark warning from the Himalayas, the water tower of Asia. Its lightning speed and the resultant devastation to the downstream settlements laid bare the acute vulnerability and lack of preparedness of the river basin communities against water-induced disasters. The devastating glacial flood caught the people of the Bhotekoshi-Trishuli basin completely off-guard, despite years of warnings from environmental scientists about the catastrophic threats global warming could pose to the snow-fed river systems of the Hindu Kush-Himalayan region.
The Hindu Kush Himalayas stretching across eight countries -Nepal, India, China, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Bhutan, Pakistan and Afghanistan - are the sources of 10 major river systems of Asia. The Hindu Kush-Himalayan region supplies drinking and irrigation water for 1.9 billion people, and the snowmass atop these mountains acts as a mega cooling machine, regulating temperature and maintaining the region's ecological balance. As this region contains the largest volume of snow outside Polar Regions, it is also known as the "third pole".
Painful history
The Hindu Kush Himalayan region has a painful history of water-induced devastation, causing terrifying loss of human life and development infrastructure. The post-earthquake avalanche of 2015 in the Langtang region, which swept off Langtang Village and the flashflood of June 2021 that destroyed Melamchi town were both triggered by a glacial outburst. Yet, the flashflood which struck the Bhotekoshi-Trishuli River corridor on 26 August was unprecedented in scale and the magnitude of destruction and it was triggered by an ice-rock collapse. A similar incident of ice-rock collapse was reported to have occurred in Chamoli in Uttarakhand on 7 February 2021.
This catastrophic event is a stark testament to the rapidly shifting environmental balance in the Hindu Kush-Himalayan region. The tragedy in Bhotekoshi- Trishuli basin is the first of its kind in memory, but it may just be a miniature of what would happen if similar glacial collapse strikes the source of large river systems like the Koshi, Karnali and Gandaki. So far, more than 1,000 people are reported dead, over 4,000 missing, with about 910 reported trapped in different 13 hydro-power tunnels along the Bhotekoshi-Trishuli corridor. The preliminary assessments place the cost of destroyed houses and development infrastructures to be around 5 billion US dollars.
The flood has subsided, but the trauma will haunt the minds of the survivors as a nightmare throughout their lives. Even us who were lucky to live outside the affected area will live with a sense of vulnerability and fragility in the face of the enormous destructive power of nature. The flashflood retreated as quickly as it had struck. But its aftershock continues to paralyze local trade, transport and the essential supply of food and medicine. With cross border trade at a complete standstill, the country is forced to explore alternative routes for connecting the supply chain and help the affected people re-enkindle their hope extinguished by the deluge.
During his official visit to Nepal in 2023, UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres had issued an urgent call for climate action after observing the geological and climatic shift taking place in the Everest and Annapurna regions of the Himalayas. He had spoken about retreating glacial lakes and their impact on the flow of water downstream of the river and trans-border management of water resources.
The major Hindu Kush Himalayan rivers are Trans-boundary water systems requiring strategies on cooperation and sharing of risks and benefits. According to scientific studies, one-third of the ice on the Himalayas has vanished during the past thirty years. An ICIMOD report published in March 2026 had confirmed that the loss of ice had doubled in the Hindu Kush Himalayan region since 2000. This finding is vindicated by the gradual drying up of the sources of spring water which high mid-mountain settlements rely on for drinking water. Lack of water and frequent landslides are accelerating outward migration, turning human settlements into "ghost villages". According to the World Bank, there could be 40 million climate migrants in South Asia in 2050 unless serious action is taken toward reducing greenhouse gas emission and formulating a strategy for climate adaptation.
Localised cloudbursts
Intense monsoon and localised cloudbursts are causing landslide even in areas considered safe and stable for human settlement, while prolonged droughts are hitting hard on the underground water storage in plain areas. It is well known that the Himalayan hydrological cycle is closely linked with the Indian Ocean. The violent collapse of Himalayan snows and polar ice sheets could have a consequential impact even on the coastal cities of South Asia and the world. This makes it clear that protection of the ecological and climatic balance of the Himalayas is not Nepal's concern only.
As a country navigating a complex geopolitical terrain, Nepal finds itself in an equally paradoxical moment in the field of climate diplomacy also. Nepal has a zero contribution to greenhouse gas emissions, but it is finding itself on the frontline of the ongoing climate crisis. Nepal is not a perpetrator in global warming but it cannot escape the brutal consequence of environmental degradation. It is, therefore, time for the world community, especially our two powerful neighbours, to wake up and take immediate and drastic action to stop emissions. That is the only way to save the Himalayas and avert the inevitability of a climate apocalypse that is not very far away.
Artical: From The Rising Nepal
(Dr. Bharadwaj is a former ambassador and former chairperson of Gorkhapatra Corporation. bharadwajnarad@gmail.com)
