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Floods Trap Hydropower Workers
Rescue teams in Nepal worked around the clock to reach workers trapped inside hydropower facilities more than a week after flash floods devastated communities in the Himalayas, after a cascade of rocks, mud and water that scientists believe came from a glacier collapse near the Langtang Lirung mountain peak swept away villages, roads, and bridges.
“More than 1,270 people have been killed, and more than 4,700 are still missing”
Authorities said more than 1,270 people had been killed and more than 4,700 were still missing, while Nepal’s National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority (NDRRMA) said 1,252 bodies had been recovered and the total number of missing in the country remained at 4,216.
In the Rasuwa district, Sanjay Kc, an officer from the Nepalese army engineering department, stood in front of bulldozers trying to remove huge piles of mud blocking the entrance of a tunnel, saying, “We still hope there are some survivors inside.”
Sanjay Kc also told Al Jazeera that “Because it’s a big power house inside, so it’s a big room, and we feel that the whole power house is not flooded,” as families gathered each morning hoping for news about missing relatives.
In parallel, CNN Arabic put the combined death toll at 1,273 and said 4,757 remained missing, with Nepal’s National Disaster Agency reporting 1,252 killed and 4,216 missing, while the Nepali army said about 945 hydropower workers remained missing.
Scientists Seek Answers, UN Warns
As scientists and officials tried to explain what triggered the disaster, Euronews reported that Nepal’s Prime Minister Balendra Shah linked the catastrophe to climate change and said, “The Bhote Koshi River rise in Rasuwa was not an ordinary flood.”
Euronews also cited the Intergovernmental Organization for International Mountain Development (ICIMOD) based in Kathmandu, saying the surge was likely triggered by an avalanche of ice and rock, and not by the breaching of a glacial lake.
In the same period, the Guardian reported that the Nepal-Tibet floods overran hydropower facilities and knocked out about 10% of Nepal’s power capacity, while UN warnings emphasized that future glacial floods could threaten riverbanks where millions live.
The Guardian quoted UN assistant secretary-general Kanni Wignaraja telling Reuters that, “Technology cannot move fast enough to prevent loss along these massive river systems that catch the overflow of the glacier lakes.”
The Guardian added that researchers identified 47 potentially dangerous glacial lakes in Nepal, China and India in 2020, but said the real figure is now thought to be significantly higher, with the population at risk “goes into the millions.”
Rebuilding, Debris, and Health Risks
With search and rescue continuing amid bad weather, mud buildup, and damage to roads and bridges, CNN Arabic said the Nepali army announced the rescue of 229 hydropower workers and that more than 1,000 additional workers were able to contact authorities.
“The Nepali army announced on Thursday the rescue of 229 hydropower workers”
CNN Arabic also reported that three bodies were recovered from hydropower project sites, while it remained unclear how many missing workers were inside the deeply shielded tunnels at the moment the waters flowed in.
The Guardian said the disaster left at least 2.2m tonnes of debris, citing a preliminary estimate by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), and described the debris as showing “the scale of the destruction and the challenge communities face as they clear homes, roads and public spaces and begin to rebuild.”
EcoAvant, meanwhile, warned of a “creciente riesgo” for public health tied to the crisis, citing the UN’s alert about health risks during monsoon season and pointing to “hacinamiento en los refugios, el agua contaminada y los daños en los centros de salud.”
EcoAvant also said the UN warned that the response was entering a new phase, quoting Stéphane Dujarric that “Para miles de familias afectadas, la prioridad ahora es recibirasistencia humanitaria,” as it described 27 displacement centers in Nuwakot and Rasuwa, mostly in schools.