Nepal

Nepalese Prime Minister Balendra Shah addressed the General Assembly on the tragedy of the 26 August floods, which left over 1,400 dead and thousands missing. He proposed a climate resilience mechanism for the Himalayas involving India and China, and called on the international community to reassess its priorities: “We are being hit by a climate emergency that we did not cause and by wars that we did not start.”

With the Bothekoshi Valley impassable, the only open trade route with China now runs through the Korala Pass at an altitude of 4,650 metres. Beijing is pushing for major infrastructure projects there as well. Until now, Kathmandu has preserved the environment and identity of the plateau, a region some identify with the mythical Shangri-La.

Damage to infrastructure and the disruption of links with Tibet come on top of the heavy reliance on remittances from the more than 2.6 million Nepalis living abroad. A still-fragile economy and youth unemployment exceeding 20 per cent are fuelling an exodus of young people that has been strongly encouraged in recent years.

Many of the victims of the Himalayan catastrophe are Hindu. Professor Chinmay Pandya spoke to AsiaNews about the relief efforts of Gayatri Pariwar, a social organisation that brings together 150 million Hindus. For him, “Relief work therefore becomes a bridge between inner awakening and social responsibility.”

Hydropower plants, where workers were trapped, are not only meant to meet local energy needs but also serve for exports. The goal is to boost production capacity to 28.5 GW by 2035, up from the 4 GW generated by the existing 189 plants. Finding suitable places for solar power remains a challenge.

A year ago today, Gen Z-led demonstrations paved the way for a profound change in Nepali politics, culminating in the arrival of Balendra Shah to power. But 12 months later, many of the demands for transparency, the fight against corruption, and institutional renewal remain unfulfilled.

The account of Bhim Chand, a tour operator who has been at the forefront of efforts to protect the Himalayas for years: “We avoided the valley floor to reach the disaster area: in the narrow valley, there was no chance of escape. These glaciers, the planet’s water reserve, are collapsing due to warming caused by human activity.”

With roads washed away in the Rasuwa and Nuwakot gorges, the sky is the only viable route for rescue and aid. With more than 4,000 people missing and several communities isolated, 30 military and private aircraft are flying over a rugged valley with no ground control or landmarks to rescue survivors and deliver aid to villages.

As victims are counted and efforts are underway to save hydroelectric plant workers in Nepal, questions are mounting about the sustainability of the development model adopted in recent years in the shadow of the Himalayas. For its part, the Nepali government is demanding “climate compensation”.

The CCBI expresses its “condolences” to the bereaved and their families and offers “spiritual closeness” to the injured and displaced. Caritas Nepal’s appeal for support for relief efforts. Kathmandu opens its borders to foreign rescue teams. The death toll rises to 626, with over 2,400 still missing. Censorship in Beijing.

The Dalai Lama’s condolences: “I pray for the victims of this tragedy, which stems from deep-rooted causes.” Tibetans in exile point the finger at Chinese dams and infrastructure projects. Meanwhile, Beijing continues to maintain that the glacier collapse occurred in Nepal.

The mountain pass swept away by the flood of water and debris was a symbol of China’s ambitions for the ‘Nepalese corridor’. But it was also the hub of a region where Beijing is providing aid to local mountain communities to strengthen its control over Tibet.