On the morning of August 26, 2026, in the Himalayan region at the top of the world, along the border between Tibet and Nepal, a massive piece of glacier collapsed and fell nearly 5,000 meters down the mountain. According to the latest reports and assessments by various experts, rapidly warming temperatures in the Himalayas led to the thawing of permafrost, causing the glacial mass to become detached from the larger mountain formation.
The glacier did not simply roll off the massif and melt away. It crashed down with such force that it created an impact comparable to a 5.2-magnitude earthquake and began blocking the flow of the Lhende River, forming a natural dam. Water rapidly accumulated behind the blockage, placing increasing pressure on the unstable mass. Eventually, the barrier gave way under the strain, releasing the trapped water and triggering a flash flood at around 9 am.
The sudden release sent a massive surge downstream at an estimated speed of 120 miles per hour, sweeping through communities in Rasuwa within minutes. The flood continued downstream toward the Trishuli, Narayani and Gandak rivers, inundating parts of Nuwakot and Dhading. The torrent carried an estimated 200,000 cubic meters, or 2 billion liters, of water through the gorge, along with massive boulders, sediment and other debris, leaving behind a trail of destruction, loss of life and property damage.
Sadly, this event was not an entirely unexpected calamity. It is a stark example of what climate change experts have long described as climate injustice. Nepal contributes only around 0.04 to 0.1 percent of global carbon dioxide emissions annually, yet it is disproportionately affected by the adverse impacts of climate change driven by historically major carbon emitters such as the United States, Europe and Russia, as well as emerging major emitters such as India and China.
Environmentalists and climate change experts have warned about the possibility of disasters of this nature since the early 1990s. Recognizing the risks posed by climate change, Nepal became a signatory to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) on June 12, 1992, and signed the Paris Agreement on April 22, 2016.
One may wonder what benefits Nepal derives from being a signatory to such international agreements. Ideally, there are several. These include commitments from developed nations that have historically contributed heavily to carbon emissions to mitigate and reduce their emissions. Other benefits include support for adaptation measures in developing countries such as Nepal, which face disproportionate impacts from climate change; access to climate finance from developed countries to implement such measures; and the transfer of climate-smart technologies to help prevent and respond to natural disasters and hazards triggered or intensified by climate change.
Sadly, despite these agreements and commitments, Nepal suffered immensely on August 26, 2026.
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In the face of such a massive disaster, Nepal’s immediate priority should be sustained search and rescue operations, accompanied by relief and rehabilitation efforts for survivors who have been displaced from their homes, lost family members and been pushed to the brink of multidimensional poverty.
The state’s disaster-prevention efforts could have been improved in several ways. First, communities living along riversides should have been legally and officially identified as highly vulnerable to flash floods. Local governments and municipalities should then have been equipped with appropriate training and technology to provide early warnings and enable early action. Such communities, for instance, should have been included in regular safety drills. This would have significantly improved their preparedness and ability to respond swiftly to an impending disaster.
Second, laws should have been put in place to prevent the construction of local infrastructure along riverbanks and in other high-risk areas. Such measures could have saved many lives.
Third, appropriate technologies, such as life-detection equipment and ground-penetrating radar capable of detecting survivors beneath rubble and debris, should have been procured in advance in anticipation of such hazards and disasters.
The state’s response to the current disaster could also have been improved. The government should have accepted immediate assistance from foreign governments that offered support for search and rescue operations during the critical first 48 hours. Such assistance could have increased the chances of rescuing and saving more lives. Foreign governments were keen to provide help in the immediate aftermath because many foreign nationals were also trapped in the disaster alongside Nepali citizens.
Accepting such assistance could not only have helped the Nepali government save lives but also enabled it to address capacity limitations and shortcomings in disaster preparedness. Search and rescue operations should also have been immediately accompanied by relief efforts, with community members and local resources mobilized to provide shelter and meet the basic needs of survivors.
My experience in mitigating several natural disasters during my tenure has informed my approach to disaster management in Nepal and to addressing the key risks that emerge from such events. For instance, Nepal experienced a massive 7.8-magnitude earthquake in 2015 that affected 14 districts. The destruction of private and public infrastructure, along with the loss of lives and displacement of people, was considerable. Around 8,961 people lost their lives, while 2.8 million people were displaced from their homes.
As head of the IGP Secretariat, I ensured that the state’s security apparatus remained responsive to the needs of citizens. I helped establish and designate relief centers for disaster victims. The earthquake also threatened critical supply chains for basic goods and services, including food and medical supplies. Securing these supply chains helped prevent illegal hoarding and the black-market sale of essential goods during the crisis.
Preventing sexual harassment and human trafficking was another major concern regarding the safety of citizens. To strengthen the state’s response to such disasters, I also initiated a project known as the “Community Police Partnership,” which strengthened relations and engagement between the state and citizens. Through the initiative, communities and security agencies collaborated in relief, rescue and rehabilitation efforts. The project was shaped by training I received in Italy, where a similar initiative emphasized civil-military and police partnerships.
Similarly, during the COVID-19 crisis, after my retirement, when the entire world was plunged into a pandemic, we partnered with local municipalities to ensure that more than a dozen ambulances were available free of charge to meet citizens’ needs. The pandemic sadly claimed the lives of 11,959 people in Nepal. The security and logistical challenges Nepal faced were similar to those encountered during the 2015 earthquake, ranging from securing supplies of critical and basic goods and services to preventing a breakdown in law and order. We addressed these risks by partnering with local governments and the police.
Nepal also experiences annual flooding in the Terai region along the Koshi, Gandak and Mahakali rivers during the monsoon season, resulting in recurring loss of life and property. Although three transboundary dams help regulate the flow of water, their benefits are greater downstream on the Indian side than on the Nepali side, contributing to greater losses in Nepal. The recurring nature of flooding in the Terai has required the state to conduct frequent search and rescue operations and provide periodic relief and rehabilitation to affected communities.
Here, too, the state can improve its response by identifying highly vulnerable flood-prone zones and preventing infrastructure development in such areas.
A total of 20,618 security personnel are currently engaged in rescue and relief operations, including 8,521 from the Nepal Army, 7,894 from Nepal Police and 4,203 from the Armed Police Force (APF). A total of 84 specialized teams have also been deployed.
Additionally, after reversing its earlier decision to decline assistance from the international community, Nepal received a 13-member team from the United States to conduct search and rescue operations in hydropower tunnels in Rasuwa. A team from India comprising forensic experts has also arrived to conduct DNA analysis and assist in search and rescue operations. Disaster management experts from China have arrived to support the tunnel rescue teams on the ground. Experts from South Korea have also arrived as an emergency response team and have offered to provide drone-based aerial surveys to support search and rescue operations.
The disaster has so far claimed the lives of 1,114 people, while around 4,000 remain missing, according to the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority (NDRRMA). Further strengthening relief, rescue and rehabilitation efforts should include deeper partnerships with local civic organizations and community members, adopting a whole-of-society approach alongside the traditional whole-of-government approach involving all three tiers of government.
The Government of Nepal (GoN) has taken a strong stand on climate justice by demanding restitution and compensation for damage caused by flash floods linked to climate change and the warming of the Himalayas, which is being intensified by high carbon emissions from developed and industrialized countries.
If the international community acknowledges and endorses this demand for restitution, it could help Nepal cope with the current and future impacts of a rapidly changing climate and a warming Himalayas. Time is of the essence for Nepal, as we do not know when the next disaster will strike. Disaster preparedness, therefore, remains the wisest course for Nepal to pursue.
The author is a former Inspector General of Nepal Police.
