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Climate change raises flood risks for Nepal’s hydropower
AP News • • world
Key Points:
- Floods in Nepal and China have severely damaged hydropower facilities in central Nepal, disrupting about 10% of the country's power capacity and affecting over 20,000 people.
- Hundreds of workers are missing from hydropower projects in the worst-hit districts, with many trapped in tunnels awaiting rescue.
- Experts emphasize rebuilding infrastructure with resilience in mind, advocating for redundancy, better location choices, early warning systems, and financial tools like insurance to mitigate future disaster impacts.
- Climate change is increasing risks in the Himalayan region, with accelerating glacier melt, unstable slopes, and erratic rainfall contributing to heightened flood and landslide hazards.
- The disaster raises questions about future hydropower project approvals, with calls for comprehensive risk assessments, stronger land-use regulations, and consideration of decentralized solar power to diversify Nepal’s energy mix.
