‘The Bhote Koshi Flood Continues the Pattern of Floods in Chamoli, Melamchi, and Tista; We Must Strategize Accordingly’

Environmental scientist Uttambabu Shrestha has stated that the Bhote Koshi flood has caused more damage than any of the Himalayan floods in the past six years. He identified the main causes of the flood as cascading events where glaciers melt to form glacial lakes, which then breach and pour into rivers. Shrestha pointed to climate change as the primary culprit behind the Bhote Koshi flood and emphasized the need for multidimensional preparedness to confront such disasters.

In the first episode of the dialogue series titled ‘Life After Bhote Koshi,’ a conversation was held with former CEO of the Disaster Risk Reduction Authority, Anil Pokharel. In the follow-up interview conducted as part of the second series, environmental scientist Uttambabu Shrestha analyzed the Himalayan floods of the past six years in comparison with Bhote Koshi. “The extent of damage caused by Bhote Koshi has outpaced that of any other flood,” Shrestha explained.

According to him, trends have been observed where rivers are blocked or dammed, landslides, debris, and ice fall into the rivers, and massive destruction occurs in downstream floodplains. Although multiple factors contributed to the Bhote Koshi flood, he asserts that climate change is the primary blame. “Nowadays, disasters occur in a cascading sequence. That means a landslide or soil erosion happens, forming lakes that block rivers, which then trigger more devastating events. These cascading disasters compel us to prepare in a comprehensive, multi-faceted way,” Shrestha added.

Uttambabu Shrestha, head of the Global Institute for Interdisciplinary Studies, discussed Nepal’s future course of action in an interview conducted by Basanta Basnet. Video: Shankar Giri