A flash flood and mudslide hit Thame village in Khumbu Pasang Lhamu Rural Municipality, Solukhumbu district On August 16. This unexpected disaster transformed the area, leaving it desolate. Tasi Lhamu Sherpa, chairperson of Khumbu Pasang Lhamu Rural Municipality, shared that the community remains vulnerable to climate-induced risks, with ongoing fears of avalanches.
Persistent rainfall from September 26 to 28 led to another disaster across Nepal, including in the Kathmandu Valley. According to the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority (NDRRMA), this event claimed 250 lives, injured at least 178 people, and left 18 missing. Around 6,000 homes were damaged, and the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Development reported that paddy production would decline due to untimely rains during harvesting season. Previously, unseasonal floods had destroyed paddy crops worth over Rs 8 billion, and heavy floods in Sindhupalchowk three years ago caused significant damage to the Melamchi Water Supply Project, disrupting the Kathmandu Valley’s water supply for months.
This year alone, monsoon-induced disasters have claimed 495 lives, injured 522, and left 66 people missing, as per NDRRMA data. Amid these recurring events, the 29th Conference of Parties (COP29) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) has started in Baku, Azerbaijan, and will run through November 22.
Nepal’s President Ram Chandra Paudel is attending COP29, where he will advocate for mountain and environmental protection. He plans to present Nepal’s worsening climate risks and emphasize the need for stronger global action. Nepal’s delegation, led by Dr Sindhu Prasad Dhungana from the Ministry of Forest and Environment, will highlight disasters such as the Thame glacial outburst to push for enhanced climate finance for loss and damage.
The Nepali delegation will focus on securing international climate finance, capacity-building support, and technology to advance Nepal’s climate commitments, such as the Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) and National Adaptation Plan (NAP). The delegation will also call for increased funding from major carbon-emitting nations to support vulnerable countries facing climate impacts.
Kamal Raj Joshi, Director General of the Department of Hydrology and Meteorology, warned that 47 large glacial lakes are at risk of outburst and could potentially result in severe economic and human losses. Twenty-five of the most vulnerable lakes are located in China, 21 in Nepal, and one in India. Joshi emphasized the need for investment to mitigate these risks.
Climate expert Manjeet Dhakal added that presenting Nepal’s specific climate vulnerabilities could bolster the case for implementing the agenda Nepal is promoting at COP29.
New research from the Asian Development Bank (ADB) suggests that climate impacts could reduce GDP in developing Asia and the Pacific by 17% by 2070. The International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) noted that climate change is affecting the Hindu Kush Himalayan region three times faster than the global average, with glacier melting increasing by 65% from 2011 to 2020 compared to earlier rates.
At COP29, Nepal will emphasize six key agenda items focused on reducing climate risks and securing national interests, including climate finance, loss and damage fund, carbon trading, emission measurement, mountain protection, and climate adaptation.
Joint-Secretary Dr. Buddhi Poudel from the Ministry of Forest and Environment stated that Nepal's national position paper includes agendas on climate adaptation, agriculture, health, energy, water, and nature-based solutions.
Nepal will also push for effective implementation of the Climate Loss and Damage Fund established at COP28 in Dubai, UAE, last year. -- RSS
