Last month, Nepal faced its worst flooding in decades, claiming the lives of over 240 people. Experts attribute the catastrophic floods to a combination of climate change, rapid urbanization, and widespread deforestation.
The relentless monsoon rains caused rivers to swell, inundating entire neighborhoods in Kathmandu and other districts. Scientists from the World Weather Attribution (WWA) network highlighted that human-induced climate change played a significant role, making the intense rainfall at least 10% heavier and 70% more likely.
\"If the atmosphere wasn't overloaded with fossil fuel emissions, these floods would have been less intense, less destructive and less deadly,\" stated Mariam Zachariah, a researcher at Imperial College London.
The saturated ground from the late monsoon rains, combined with the region's complex rain dynamics, created a perfect storm for devastating floods and landslides. The disaster also severely impacted Nepal's infrastructure, washing away homes, ripping bridges, and damaging hydropower plants.
Beyond climate factors, the rapid expansion of urban areas in Kathmandu—nearly quadrupling since 1990—and significant deforestation have disrupted the natural flow of water, exacerbating the flood's impact.
Roshan Jha from the Indian Institute of Technology in Mumbai emphasized the urgent need for action, saying, \"Climate change is no longer a distant threat. With every fraction of a degree of warming, the atmosphere can potentially hold more moisture, leading to much heavier downpours, and catastrophic floods like these.\"
Nepal continues to strive for energy independence through an aggressive hydropower expansion, currently generating 99% of its power. However, the recent floods underscore the vulnerability of infrastructure in the face of extreme weather events.
The United Nations' World Meteorological Organization echoed these concerns, labeling the increasing frequency of intense floods and droughts as a \"distress signal\" of the unpredictable water cycles driven by climate change. WMO chief Celeste Saulo pointed out, \"Water is the canary in the coal mine of climate change.\"
Reference(s):
cgtn.com
