Before flood catastrophe, Nepal and China discussed risks of such disasters

Three months prior to a devastating flood that claimed hundreds of lives in a Himalayan valley shared by Nepal and China, experts and officials from both nations convened in the Nepali capital, Kathmandu, on May 27. During the meeting, 10 Nepali officials and approximately a dozen Chinese representatives, including those from Tibet, deliberated on enhancing collaboration to monitor and respond to floods, weather, and glacier-related hazards.

The participants advocated for joint risk reduction strategies, such as compiling inventories of glacial lakes and mapping hazards. However, two Nepali officials expressed that they did not receive the level of information from China on glacial risks and water levels that they had hoped for. They were concerned that insufficient data sharing might impede their capacity to foresee and prepare for major disasters.

Sauhardra Joshi, a hydrologist at Nepal's Flood Forecasting Division, highlighted the importance of receiving early warnings about glacier movements in the region.

While no officials or experts have blamed either country for the disaster, the estimated cost to Nepal's economy for recovery is roughly one-tenth of the total annual output. Nepali officials emphasized the need for strengthened cooperation with China. However, China's foreign ministry declined to comment on the May meeting or Nepal's request for more information sharing.

In response, Binod Parajuli, another Nepali hydrologist, stated that China did not have the authority to sign an agreement with Nepal and suggested further discussions.

Details of the meeting and Nepal's demands for broader cooperation in monitoring glaciers threatening communities on both sides of the border were not previously disclosed. China's embassy in Nepal claimed that Beijing and Kathmandu had maintained close contact on the issue and achieved "substantial progress" during the May meeting on promoting cross-border disaster information sharing.

Despite previous concerns raised by Nepal about a flood in the same area last year, triggered by the sudden release of water from a glacial lake in Tibet, environmental anthropologist Austin Lord cautioned that the slow progress in cooperation was not a significant factor in the recent disaster, in which nearly 800 people perished in both countries and over 3,000 remained missing.