Nepal disaster: Four lessons India, China, and Nepal must learn

The recent devastating flood in Nepal's Rasuwa district, caused by an avalanche on the Chinese side of the glaciers, has killed hundreds and destroyed various areas, including traditional villages, tourist spots, and infrastructure. This has sparked debates across the Himalayan region about the role of borders during natural disasters, emphasizing the need for a more complex treatment of borderlands and greater interdependence among nations in terms of information sharing, joint studies, and collaboration.

The flood's impact on Nepal's 15 hydro projects and downstream areas in China, India, and Bangladesh has raised concerns about national and transborder environmental damage, potentially disrupting cross-border energy trading and regional power pools. The flood also exposed a disconnect between local and national disaster response efforts, highlighting the need for local institutions to be equipped with training, technique, and resources to handle climate-related crises.

Furthermore, the Himalayan region still lacks a cohesive climate policy and institutional framework spanning local, national, and regional levels. There is a need to integrate scattered approaches into a common platform to address the region's challenges effectively.