Thame Flood: A Wake-up Call

Bini Dahal

When United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres visited Nepal in November last year, he warned of worsening climate change vulnerabilities for countries like Nepal. His cautioning has proved to be real because the country has begun suffering from climate change effects. The mountain region is more susceptible to such effects than other parts of the country. Studies show that this Himalayan nation records an average 0.056 degrees Celsius temperature rise. And the rate is much higher in the mountainous region. 

The recent flooding in Thame, located in the Everest Region of Nepal, has come off as a horrendous disaster resulting from anthropogenic climate change. For a country like ours that ranks fourth in terms of climatic vulnerability globally, this issue highlights the need for adopting both mitigation and adaptation measures. It has been reported that the flood in the area was a result of an outburst of a glacial lake located above Thame. The flood was filled with big stones and mud. Basically, there was a huge flow of debris. 

Apparently, there are four glacial lakes located in the region. And heavy rain had drastically increased the water flow in the lake. The emergence of an increasing number of glacial lakes and the growing trend of their expansion has become a matter of serious concern for Nepal. Although no human casualty was reported in the Thame disaster, the flood caused huge damage to personal public properties there. According to the local government, the flood has damaged more than one dozen structures, including seven houses, five lodges, one school building and one health facility. 

The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority (NDRRMA) has announced that it is preparing to send a technical team consisting of experts to calculate the loss and damage incurred by the local community in the area. Following the unexpected flooding, most residents of the disaster-hit area are living outside their homes. They are in need of necessary relief and rehabilitation. A study conducted by the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) in 2020 identified 47 Potentially Dangerous Glacial Lakes (PDGLs) within the Koshi, Gandaki, and Karnali river basins of Nepal, the Tibet Autonomous Region of China, and India. 

Amidst such a precarious scenario, Nepal is in urgent need of seeking required funds from the international community to tackle it. This is not possible without strengthening diplomatic channels and Nepal's negotiation efforts. Vulnerable countries like ours must put pressure on and consistently request for international aid to adopt climate change, targeting mitigation and adaptation measures. Such funds can be mobilised for constructing climate resilient infrastructures and supporting the lives and livelihoods of climate vulnerable communities. 

The Thame case is a wake-up call for both underdeveloped and industrialised nations. Ignoring such a call means to put the people and a myriad of their fundamental rights in danger. Because our development effort is highly affected due to unsustainable development practices and climate change, we must not take these issues lightly. We must immediately conduct necessary research and studies on our glacial lakes and put efforts into installing early warning systems at vulnerable places help to minimise the risk involved with glacial lake outburst flood (GLOF). Nepal must take the upcoming Conference of Parties (COP)-29 as an international platform to be more vocal on the matter. Climate diplomacy is our need and compulsion and the Government of Nepal now needs to strengthen it further.