Nepal plans to rebuild an early-warning system for landslides on its border with China, installing seismic sensors, cameras, and a satellite link. The move comes after a glacial flood killed over 1,000 people and destroyed previous monitoring stations.
The rebuilding of this early-warning system highlights Nepal's vulnerability to climate-induced disasters and its efforts to enhance cross-border cooperation on disaster management with China, particularly in a geopolitically sensitive region.
Nepal is set to re-establish an early-warning system for landslides along a section of its border with China, according to two Nepali government sources. This initiative follows a devastating glacial flood that claimed over 1,000 lives and destroyed the previous monitoring infrastructure.
The new system will feature seismic sensors, cameras, and a satellite link, including a Very Small Aperture Terminal (VSAT) to ensure connectivity even if mobile networks fail. This is crucial, as the previous flood caused a blackout that prevented monitoring stations from functioning.
The chosen location in Nepal's Rasuwa district is a sensitive border area, closely monitored by Nepal, Beijing, and New Delhi. Officials cited an urgent need to act, warning that the landscape remains unstable after the recent catastrophic event and could trigger further landslides.
While Nepal had previously sought more detailed, real-time data sharing from China regarding glacier movements and water levels, China has since provided satellite imagery and hydrological data. The immediate danger from two barrier lakes formed by the glacial collapse has subsided, but the terrain's instability remains a concern, with any landslide-triggered events potentially offering only minutes to alert downstream communities.