Principal who saved 900 students recalls Nepal’s devastating flood

Nearly one thousand individuals remain missing after devastating floods struck Nepal, trapping hundreds in hydropower tunnels. The disaster has crippled ten percent of the nation's power capacity, impacting over 20,000 people. Workers at a central power station in central Nepal have been laboring to restore the affected plant, but there are hopes that the structure will not merely be rebuilt in the same location, adjacent to the river that caused its destruction.

Over 900 workers are currently unaccounted for from a dozen hydropower projects, with hundreds believed to be trapped in tunnels. The loss of hydropower infrastructure has resulted in a loss of 700 megawatts, which constitutes about ten percent of the country's power capacity. As the immediate aftermath of the disaster is addressed, authorities must prioritize rebuilding critical services such as roads, bridges, schools, and healthcare facilities without replicating the same vulnerabilities.

Geoscientist Jakob Steiner, currently based in Dhaka, Bangladesh, emphasized the need for Nepal to rebuild with resilience in mind, taking a close look at its ongoing projects to determine whether they will be approved following this event. According to Ramraj Narasimhan, a senior director with the Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure, rebuilding efforts should focus on maintaining continuity of services rather than attempting to make every structure impervious.

He suggested evaluating alternative locations, alternate routes, backup power systems, and improved early warning systems to enhance disaster preparedness. Climate scientists contend that the Himalayan region, which is warming at a faster rate than many other areas globally, is particularly vulnerable to climate change-induced disasters.

The recent flooding adds to the evidence that infrastructure planning in the Himalayas must account for the rising frequency and severity of disasters due to climate change. Glaciers in the Hindu Kush Himalayan region are melting at an accelerating pace, while permafrost degradation, unstable slopes, glacial lakes, and erratic rainfall patterns are increasing the risks of floods, landslides, and debris flows.

Nepal's hydropower sector is vital to its electricity grid and economic growth, and much of its potential hydropower is run-of-river, closely linked to steep river corridors where limited land and rapid hazard cascades pose significant risks. The disaster has heightened scrutiny on future project approvals, necessitating thorough environmental, social, and disaster-risk assessments that reflect the specific landscape and past hazards of each valley, along with robust land-use rules and greater accountability.