Give Impetus To Climate Diplomacy

The August 26 Himalayan flood, also called the Himalayan tsunami, has badly exposed Nepal’s vulnerability to natural calamities. Earthquake, floods, landslides, avalanches, glacial lakes outburst floods, drought and climate-induced menaces are some of the recurrent forms of disaster Nepal often faces. Such disasters cause enormous loss of lives and properties almost every year. Nepal is in the seismic zone and earthquakes often strike, which are natural phenomenon.  The nature and geological structure of the Himalayas, which is world’s youngest mountain range formed by the tectonic collision of Eurasian and Indian plates almost 50 million years ago. 

Natural calamities are beyond human control. However, unsustainable human activities are responsible for some cases of disasters recurrent flash floods, landslides, avalanches and glacial lakes outburst floods. The Himalayas is the source of water for billions of people in Asia and their livelihood is directly linked with the mountains. The major rivers of Asia originate from the Himalayas. According to ICIMOD, the average temperature rise in the Hindu Kush-Himalayan region is higher than the global average making Himalayas further vulnerable. 

Immediate intervention

If the present rate of global warming continues unabated, most of the snow in the Himalayas may disappear by the end of this century. In such a scenario, our rivers will dry up, agriculture would be in jeopardy and livelihood of billions of people may be in peril. Fate of billions of Asian people and Asian civilization are seriously threatened with the tremendous environmental pressure on the Himalayas, which demands serious and immediate intervention and actions for saving these mountains. Being a frontline country of the Himalayas, Nepal may be hit hardest of any kind of disaster that may occur in the region, the case of which is the recent Himalayan floods.