downtoearth.org.in
Two years, two floods: A vulnerable Himalayan corridor faces growing risk
The devastating flood that struck Nepal’s Lhende-Bhotekoshi corridor in Rasuwa District on August 26,, 2026, was not simply another flood in the Himalayan region. Rather, it was a chain reaction of multiple events. The event began with a high-altitude glacier disturbance and rapidly developed into a destructive flood and debris-flow event downstream. The immediate cause of the event is still being investigated, and scientists are examining the roles of an ice-rock avalanche and the subsequent blockage and release of water in the Lhende river system. However, the larger significance of the disaster goes beyond the question of what exactly triggered the flood. The event highlights a broader problem in understanding Himalayan climate risk. A hazard that begins several kilometres upstream can rapidly change the behaviour of a river and affect communities, infrastructure and livelihoods far at the downstream. The disaster therefore needs to be understood as a cascading hazard, where different physical processes can interact and where the consequences of one event can create further risks to the downstream region. This is not a completely new phenomenon in the Himalayan region. The region has experienced several disasters in which one hazard has triggered another. What is changing is the combination...
