Nepal calls for global climate action after deadly Himalayan disaster

KATHMANDU, Sept 1 — Nepali Prime Minister Balendra Shah declared last week's catastrophic Himalayan flood "not an ordinary" event, attributing it to climate change and demanding global action. The torrential wave, triggered by a glacial collapse on the China-Nepal border, claimed at least 939 lives and left 4,500 missing, with reconstruction costs potentially reaching "billions of dollars".

Prime Minister Shah emphasized in a social media post that the Bhote Koshi River flood in Rasuwa was one of the region's major disasters, driven by an avalanche of snow and ice. While the exact cause remains unclear, climate change is causing glaciers worldwide to melt, heightening the risk of such catastrophes. Scientists warn that the Himalayas, the world's highest mountain range, are melting at an accelerated rate as global temperatures rise.

Shah stressed that Nepal, a rural nation of 30 million people, contributes little to global warming but is suffering its consequences. He called for the international community to strongly address the issue of disasters resulting from climate change. Glaciers in the Himalayan and Hindu Kush ranges supply water to 240 million people in mountainous regions and 1.65 billion in South and Southeast Asian river valleys.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres had previously warned of rapidly melting glaciers in Himalayan regions, stating that "rooftops of the world are caving in". Following the disaster, UN climate chief Simon Stiell described it as a "devastating reminder of how fragile these mountain environments can be". Nepal's economy is already strained, with limited resources to cope with a disaster of this magnitude.