Roxanne Gasana, deputy news editor
On Aug. 26, a catastrophic flood in Nepal killed over 1,400 people and left close to 5,800 missing. The collapse sent ice, rock and debris through the Trishuli River and into surrounding communities. Rescue operations are ongoing, with authorities prioritizing people trapped in tunnels at hydropower plants.
The incident has raised many questions concerning the effects of climate change, disaster preparedness, reconstructing infrastructure and the future of recovery for Nepal in light of the destruction caused.
Amy Johnson, assistant professor of anthropology, has researched hazards in mountainous regions in Nepal and said the flooding was drastically different from the flooding that usually occur during Nepal’s monsoon season.
“The events that occurred on the morning of Aug. 26 were something just completely out of the realm of predictability,” Johnson said.
Researchers are still working to determine exactly how the event occurred. Based on current scientific knowledge, it is believed that a piece of a mountain together with the glacier slid into the river, causing material to slide into the rivers. This triggered a tremor and the amount of material moving downstream made it difficult to realise what was happening and gave little time for action in some areas.
According to Johnson, climate change is another factor researchers are examining.
“The Himalayas are heating up quickly, and thawing permafrost leads to unstable mountain sides,” Johnson said.
However, she cautioned against identifying climate change as the sole cause of the disaster.
“Not one factor can be said to be the driving or single cause,” Johnson said.
Vince Gawronski, a visiting associate professor of international affairs, who has studied disasters for more than 30 years, said because of the event’s scale and the need for assistance beyond Nepal’s own resources, the disaster meets the definition of a “catastrophe” used in disaster research.
Gawronski said the disaster will likely raise questions about Nepal’s ability to prepare for and respond to similar events. One issue is whether people received enough warning before the flood reached populated areas. Early signs of activity were observed, but no earthquake warning was issued because the activity was deemed to be a landslide instead of an earthquake.
“Disaster response should be evaluated through several factors, including the government’s capability, competence, compassion, correctness and credibility,” Gawronski said.
Capability refers to whether the government has sufficient capacity to respond to a disaster, whereas competence relates to the preparation of the emergency services personnel.
Gawronski said factors that become critical during a crisis are transparency regarding death tolls, aid distribution and public communication.
Additionally, the disaster has increased pressure on Nepal’s hydropower industry. Several hydropower facilities in the affected region were damaged, and rescue teams have been searching the tunnels where workers may be trapped. Four people have been rescued from hydropower facilities so far, including two workers rescued after spending nine days underground, according to Nepalese officials.
Johnson said resettlement will likely be one of the largest challenges facing affected communities.
“Where are the people going to go now?” Johnson said. “Are they going to go back into those hill villages and re-establish villages there, or are they going to move to other parts of Nepal?”
The destruction of infrastructure will complicate the recovery process. According to Nepalese officials, almost 20,000 houses would have to be reconstructed, including around 7,500 that were destroyed. The total damage caused to property, houses and infrastructure is expected to be approximately $2.56 billion.
Lecturer of Physics Abhishek Khanal is from and has family in Nepal. He said the scale of the disaster initially surprised him.
“When I first heard about the flooding from my mother, I assumed it was a normal flash flood, like the ones we usually get during the monsoon season,” Khanal said. “After seeing videos of the destruction, however, I realized it was different. The scale was shocking.”
For Khanal, an important part of the story is how affected communities are represented in media coverage. While local community groups and international non-governmental organizations are beginning to mobilize psychological first aid, the scale of need is greater than the resources available.
“International discussion should not only focus on dealing with the disaster but also on prevention of future disasters,” Khanal said.
This involves the discussion about climate change as well as the issue which Khanal calls climate justice.
“Nepal makes very little contribution to the total global greenhouse gas emissions yet remains highly vulnerable to changes in the Himalayan environment,” Khanal said.
Traditionally, Nepalese settlements had been located in higher-elevation areas and not within the valley where rivers flow, although a few lived near rivers. Johnson added that infrastructure development starting from the ‘60s and ‘70s prompted more people to move near the rivers as it became easier for them to access roads, schools, hospitals and
job opportunities.
“Some people have questioned why communities were located near rivers, but most of those settlements have existed for generations,” Khanal said. “They have been there for so long, it’s not their fault.”
Johnson corroborated this, adding that the effects of the disaster will extend beyond the immediate rescue operation.
“The ways communities recover will depend on their access to resources and the amount of infrastructure that remains,” Johnson said.
As efforts to rescue the stranded continue, Nepal confronts the task of locating survivors while repairing damaged infrastructure. The disaster also prompted broader questions about future hazard prepardness. “Nepal requires support for rescue operations, building houses and helping people that have lost their source of income,” Khanal said. “I hope the international community comes through.”