🇳🇵 Nepal Hydropower Hit by Flood

An August disaster on the China-Nepal border severely damaged Nepal’s hydropower system after a glacial mountain collapse triggered flooding that killed more than 1,400 people and left thousands missing. The flood knocked out 410MW, about 10% of national generation capacity, and forced Nepal to suspend electricity exports to India and Bangladesh.

Hydropower supplies more than 90% of Nepal’s electricity, and output had risen more than fourfold over the past decade to around 4,120MW as Kathmandu sought to turn glacier-fed rivers into a revenue source. The damage has intensified concerns over the exposure of Himalayan infrastructure to climate and geological risks, including glacier retreat, thawing permafrost and harder-to-predict extreme events, prompting calls for redesigned dams, stronger safety measures and greater diversification into solar.

The disruption has raised immediate questions over Nepal’s energy security and the durability of its dam-led development model. The article says experts are urging more climate-resilient systems and regional monitoring to protect populations reliant on glacier-fed rivers.

#Nepal #China #India

@asianomics