Cascading hazards and the limits of transboundary preparedness in the Himalayas

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Himalayan hazards also do not respect political boundaries. Nepal and China signed a memorandum of understanding on disaster risk reduction in 2019, and meteorological agencies on both sides met within hours of this event. Yet the first indication that ice had blocked a river reached Nepal’s disaster authority through the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD), a regional research body, rather than through an official bilateral channel.  

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We need to understand Himalayan hazards as chains of processes rather than isolated events. And the chain does not end with geophysical processes. It extends to what we build in these valleys — and what we choose to rebuild after every disaster.  

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The knowledge of scientists across Himalayan borders, officials and communities that have read these slopes for generations must be connected, interrogated and integrated. The people of the Himalayas do not need to be told that these valleys are dangerous. They have lived with that knowledge — and its consequences — for generations. 

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