Key facts
- Floods in Nepal have severely damaged or destroyed numerous hydropower projects.
- Hundreds of workers are missing, with many feared trapped in tunnels.
- Approximately 10% of Nepal's power capacity is offline due to infrastructure loss.
- Experts advocate for rebuilding infrastructure with resilience and redundancy in mind.
- The warming climate in the Himalayas is increasing the frequency and intensity of such disasters.
Workers are attempting to clear mud from a flood-damaged power station in central Nepal, which supplies electricity to over 20,000 people. The recent catastrophic floods have devastated numerous hydropower projects across the country, leaving up to 900 workers unaccounted for and hundreds believed trapped in tunnels. The loss of this infrastructure has taken an estimated 700 megawatts of power offline, representing about 10% of Nepal's total capacity.
Disaster experts and geoscientists are urging Nepalese authorities to reconsider rebuilding strategies, questioning the approval of new projects in vulnerable locations and emphasizing the need for resilient infrastructure that prioritizes service continuity and redundancy over making every structure indestructible. This could involve choosing safer locations, implementing alternate routes, ensuring backup power, and improving early warning systems and financial tools like insurance.
Climate scientists highlight that the Himalayan region is warming at an accelerated rate, leading to increased risks of floods, landslides, and debris flows due to melting glaciers, permafrost degradation, and erratic rainfall. Nepal's reliance on run-of-river hydropower, which is closely tied to steep river corridors, makes it particularly susceptible to these climate-driven disasters. While smaller floods can sometimes be managed with diversions, extreme events like the recent one can overwhelm physical defenses, making early warning systems critical for protecting lives.
There are also calls for more rigorous environmental, social, and disaster-risk assessments for future projects, coupled with stronger accountability and land-use regulations. Hydropower projects themselves can exacerbate downstream damage by altering river channels and adding debris. Some experts suggest that Nepal should also explore more decentralized energy sources, such as solar power, as part of a diversified energy mix.