Nepal PM Balen Shah, in the Parliament
Nepal PM Balendra Shah on Wednesday described the catastrophic Bhotekoshi River flood of August 26 as a stark warning of escalating climate risks in the Himalayan region, urging the international community to share responsibility for tackling the growing impact of climate change. He called for Nepal to forcefully present before the international community the disasters it is suffering due to climate change.
Addressing Parliament, Shah said experts had identified the disaster as one of the largest in the region, as being caused by an avalanche of snow and rock in the high Himalayas. He said the scale of the devastation showed that countries in the Himalayan region were facing increasing risks alongside the effects of climate change. “This is a serious signal that, alongside climate change, the risks we must bear in the Himalayan region are increasing,” Shah said. “Climate change is a product of the whole world’s contribution; mitigating and managing its effects is the shared responsibility of the global community,” Shah said, stressing the need for international cooperation to address the consequences of a changing climate.
Climate risks expose Himalayan vulnerability As search operations continue for those still missing, the disaster has emerged as a stark reminder of the vulnerability of Himalayan communities and infrastructure to increasingly severe climate-related risks.