As climate change warms the Himalayas, disasters like the Nepal floods are becoming more frequent

KATHMANDU, Nepal (AP) — A wall of water, rocks, and mud recently ravaged a remote village in Nepal, forcing its residents to flee to a rebuilt Buddhist shrine. This latest disaster comes on the heels of others, such as the 2015 earthquake and the 2021 Chamoli disaster, raising concerns about the communities' resilience in the face of accelerating climate change.

Pema Tamang, a survivor, recounted how they had only recently rebuilt the stupa following the earthquake. "Sheltering in it was how we saved our lives from the floods," she said. The Aug. 26 floods in Nepal and neighboring China resulted in over 1,000 deaths and thousands of missing persons, many feared trapped in tunnels at hydropower projects.

While scientists cannot directly attribute the recent floods to global warming, the warming of the Himalayan region is making such disasters more likely. The region is warming faster than many other parts of the world due to increased burning of fossil fuels. This warming leads to accelerated melting of high mountain glaciers, causing frequent rockslides, avalanches, and flash floods. Heavy rain following a disaster can further exacerbate the destruction.

The Hindu Kush Himalaya, which spans across several countries, contains the largest concentration of ice outside the polar regions and supports nearly 2 billion people. Accelerated glacier ice loss since 2000 and thawing permafrost are also posing new risks. Satellite imagery shows that a large mass of bedrock and glacial ice collapsed, sending a wall of water and mud through communities downstream.

While some adaptation may still be possible, climate change may reach a point where rebuilding becomes unfeasible, forcing residents to relocate. Manjeet Dhakal, a Nepali climate policy expert, warns that the consequences of such disasters can be mitigated through stricter land-use rules, better infrastructure assessments, stronger cross-border monitoring, and early warning systems.