Nepal's floods are a warning Korea should heed too
A giant torrent of water, mud and ice swept away villages and damaged roads and infrastructure near the Nepal-China border Aug.36. The death toll in Nepal has climbed to at least 1,300, with more than 5,000 people still missing, according to the latest figures from the Nepali government. On the Tibetan side of the border, at least 16 people were killed and 500 remain missing, according to Chinese…
A torrent of water, mud and ice devastated villages and inflicted damage to roads and infrastructure near the Nepal-China border on August 36. The death toll in Nepal has risen to at least 1,300, with over 5,000 people still unaccounted for, according to the latest figures from the Nepali government. On the Tibetan side of the border, at least 16 lives were lost and 500 remain missing, as per Chinese authorities.
Nepali officials are currently prioritizing the rescue of workers trapped inside hydropower tunnels, with more than 900 still unaccounted for at various project sites.
South Korea is familiar with this cyclical pattern. Repeated summer flood and landslide disasters forced successive governments to enhance early-warning systems only after the damage had already occurred, not beforehand. It took multiple bad seasons for the lesson to be fully understood. Seoul has established one of the most active overseas disaster-response programs in the region through KOICA, with Nepal among its long-standing development partners.
A government that continues to fund tunnels and dams in the Trishuli valley while neglecting the necessary sensors and warning systems is a cautionary tale for Korea to heed.
Written by urgent.news from The Korea Times's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
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- Nepal's floods are a warning Korea should heed too koreatimes.co.kr
