INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
KATHMANDU, OCTOBER 1While the nationwide downpours have caused widespread damage to humans and animals and wrecked the
economy, environmental experts have examined the devastation through the lens of climate change.
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According to them, the recent relentless rainfall, which resulted in massive losses of human and other
resources in Nepal during the same week that the monsoon was predicted, appears to be a result of climate change.Another case is that the
state's inadequate response despite advance warning resulted in significant human losses.
When the Himalayan Times asked
Pema Gyamtsho, Director General of the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD), if there was a link between recent
rain, flooding, and damage across the country and climate change, he responded, "Yes, it is definitely linked to climate change."He stated
that, as the number of seasonal events increases, their power exceeds our carrying capacity, implying that there are clear links to climate
change."The recent unprecedented flooding across Nepal due to incessant rainfall is a grim reminder to all that climate change is real and
that its catastrophic impacts on our lives and livelihoods can no longer be ignored
We must immediately move beyond mere rhetorical statements to taking meaningful actions on the ground to not only accelerate mitigation
measures but also to adapt to the new and emerging realities," he said.Furthermore, ICIMOD stated that, while Nepal contributes 0.1% of
global emissions from the use of fossil fuels, the country is the fourth most climate-vulnerable in the world
By 2030, climate change-related river flooding could affect more than a third of a million people in Nepal each year.While climate change is
affecting the amount and timing of rainfall throughout Asia, scientists believe that the built environment, particularly unplanned
construction on floodplains, is a major contributor to the increased impact of floods.They have urged central governments and city planners
to invest in and plan for both 'grey' (engineered) and 'green' (nature-based) infrastructure, such as underground stormwater and sewage
systems, as well as the restoration of wetlands or the implementation of permeable pavements and 'rain gardens', in order to increase
cities' capacity to absorb water and assist communities to adapt."This unprecedented rain has fallen on soil already saturated following a
more than 25% above normal rainfall this monsoon in Kathmandu
Its impact is aggravated by poor drainage due to unplanned settlement/haphazard urbanisation, construction on floodplains, a lack of areas
for water retention, and encroachment on the Bagmati River," reads the statement of ICIMOD.Meanwhile, extreme floods from two consecutive
heavy monsoon years have caused devastation in many parts of the Hindu Kush Himalaya region in 2023 and 2024, and a recent climate scientist
analysis shows that Asia's exposure to extreme rain and flood risk will increase by 2030.Furthermore, several scientists and publications
have reported abnormal patterns in the monsoon trend in recent years
As a result, analysing such weather trends in relation to climate change is critical for effective warning, protection, rescue, and relief
efforts.Since last Thursday, the Kathmandu Valley has received the most rainfall in nearly five and a half decades, according to weather
reports."I've never before seen flooding on this scale in Kathmandu," said Arun Bhakta Shrestha, Climate and Environmental Risks Lead at the
Hindu Kush Himalayan Knowledge Centre, International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD).Similarly, elderly people who have
lived in Kathmandu for a long period of time also claimed that the "recent flood is the biggest after 1994."Kumaltar, in the Kathmandu
Valley, received 381.2 and Godavari received 346.6 mm in rains that set in early on Thursday
Large areas of Nepal were projected to see rainfall in the "extremely heavy rainfall" category (over 200 mm) on both Friday and Saturday.
This article first appeared/also appeared in https://thehimalayantimes.com
