Nepal cannot stop the floods. It can stop them from becoming disasters.

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The Himalayas have been regularly witnessing deadly flash floods. In July 2025, a flood originating in China crossed into Nepal through the Trishuli River basin and killed 19 people. 

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The interplay of water, infrastructure, and danger drives home the central lesson of disaster risk reduction: there is no such thing as a ‘natural’ disaster. A natural hazard becomes a disaster only when people are placed in its path. Had the floodwaters surged over uninhabited riverbanks where there were no people, roads, or farmland, the event would not have been called a disaster. 

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As they prepare for that future, Nepal and other places across the Himalayas would benefit from rethinking the type of tourism that they encourage. Nepal is currently a destination for low-cost, mass tourism. 

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Floods in Nepal will keep coming. Glaciers will melt, rain will fall, and rivers will struggle to carry ever greater volumes of water. Disasters, though, are not inevitable. 

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