Climate change

Nepal: Search Continues for Missing Hydropower Workers as Flood Fatalities Top 900

Is climate stress a root cause of this disaster or are poor international development choices to blame?

Published AUG 31

Nepal: Search Continues for Missing Hydropower Workers as Flood Fatalities Top 900

Story

Above: Rescue operations transitioned to search and retrieval efforts in Devighat, Nepal, following flash floods on Aug. 29. Image credit: Ezra Acayan/Getty Images

The Facts

Rescue teams are working to locate 933 hydropower workers who are missing at 11 project sites in Nepal's Rasuwa and Nuwakot districts following Wednesday's flash flooding disaster. Some workers are believed to be trapped in tunnels that have been blocked by mud and debris. Approximately 10,000 Nepali troops have been deployed, along with tunnel specialists from China and India, to assist in the rescue efforts.
Hindustan Times
Reuters
Rescuers reached the entrance of a tunnel at the Trishuli 3A hydropower site on Sunday and began pumping in air, with Nepal's army using drilling machines, excavators and hydraulic cutters. Overnight rain and rising river waters had previously halted operations by flooding the excavation area.
Al Jazeera
Wionews
Nepal's disaster agency confirmed 903 deaths in the country as of Monday, with 4,247 people missing, including 592 foreigners. On the Chinese side of the border, authorities reported 16 deaths and 546 missing, with 261 of those being foreign nationals.
France 24
Breitbart
The disaster was triggered by a glacial collapse near Nepal's border with Tibet, which registered as a magnitude 5.2 seismic event. The resulting torrent traveled roughly 100 kilometers (62 miles) downstream, affecting populated areas along the Trishuli and Bhote Koshi rivers.
BBC News
The Hill
The flood knocked out roughly 10% of Nepal's installed power generation capacity, with 11 hydropower stations and a solar plant halting operations. Nepal's finance minister estimated total losses from the disaster at more than $4 billion.
Al Jazeera
Newsmax
International aid pledged to Nepal included $3.6 million each from the U.S. and Canada, $6.8 million from the United Kingdom and $2.3 million from the European Union. The Red Cross estimated more than 90,000 people were affected by the disaster.
The Guardian
RFI
The Economic Times

Sources Split

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The Spin

Climate-concerned narrative

Climate change is fueling the deadly glacial collapse risk responsible for this catastrophe. Nepal must abandon risky hydropower projects in these vulnerable areas before more lives are lost.

CNN

Dr. Matthew M. Wielicki on X

Climate-skeptic narrative

Nepal's hydro projects failed due to poor planning, lack of redundancy and inadequate early warnings — often exacerbated by poor USAID decision-making. There must be a more thoughtful investigation into the international development aspects of this disaster and not knee-jerk climate alarmism.

Angelo Giuliano on X