Threat of glacier-flood increased in Himalayas, Nepal sought cooperation from India-China, what is the plan?

Nepal’s Prime Minister Balendra Shah has proposed a new mechanism with India and China to deal with the growing climate crisis in the Himalayas. It has been named the Himalayan Climate Resilience Mechanism. It will be jointly led by Nepal, India and China. Shah spoke for the first time at the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly on Thursday. Referring to the recent devastating floods in Nepal, he said that the rising temperature of the earth is destabilizing the fragile natural system of the Himalayas. 1,451 people have died in the devastating floods and landslides that hit Nepal on August 26. More than 6 thousand people are still missing.

Shah said that about 2 billion people live in the Hindu Kush Himalaya region. The Himalayas are the main source of water, environment, agriculture and livelihood for these people. This also affects the population living away from Nepal. Shah said that the Himalayas are not a small area isolated from the world, but an important part of the Earth’s life system. With this in mind, Shah proposed to immediately create a Himalayan Climate Resilience System with India and China.

What will be the benefits of the new mechanism?

Shah said that through the mechanism, the three countries can share satellite-derived information and expertise. Under this system, dangerous glacial lakes i.e. lakes formed by melting glaciers have been asked to be monitored. Also, the early warning system between the three countries will be strengthened, so that information about floods or other disasters can be obtained in advance. The three countries should cooperate in cross-border relief and rescue operations when a major natural calamity strikes. Shah said that the Himalayas should be made a lab for international cooperation instead of being a region of information divided between different countries.

Mountain slopes are weakening: Shah

The Prime Minister of Nepal also drew attention to the threat of permafrost (long-time frozen ground ice) melting. He said this is causing the mountain slopes under the glaciers to weaken. This increases the risk of snow and ice, floods, landslides and other related disasters. He said that the recent events caused massive destruction on both sides of the Nepal-China border and the floodwaters rose to reach India.