🔆 Nepal Disaster: A Grim Reminder to Rethink Preparedness
📍 Why in News?
🟢 The flash floods in Nepal highlight the urgent need to strengthen disaster resilience as natural disasters become more frequent and unpredictable.
🟢 Nepal’s disaster also carries a wider warning for countries across the Hindu Kush Himalaya (HKH) region.
📍 Rising Himalayan Vulnerability
🟢 The region is increasingly vulnerable to Glacial Lake Outburst Floods (GLOFs).
🟢 Global glacier mass loss has accelerated, with over 9,500 gigatonnes lost since 1975.
🟢 Several Himalayan mountain ranges, including the Central Himalaya, have recorded over 20% decline in glacier area between 1990 and 2020.
📍 Disasters are Becoming More Frequent
🟢 The frequency of natural disasters is rising.
🟢 In 2024, natural disasters displaced 45.8 million people internally.
🟢 The Nepal disaster has caused severe human and economic losses, with reconstruction costs estimated at around $4 billion.
📍 The Preparedness Gap
🟢 Climate change impacts depend on vulnerability, exposure and adaptive capacity.
🟢 Lower-income countries often remain more vulnerable and less ready to cope with disasters.
🟢 This highlights the need to shift from a reactive approach to anticipatory preparedness and resilience-building.
📍 Way Forward
🟢 Strengthen early-warning systems and last-mile communication.
🟢 Improve disaster-resilient infrastructure and local preparedness.
🟢 Enhance regional cooperation for transboundary Himalayan disasters.
🟢 Integrate climate adaptation with disaster risk reduction and development planning.
📍 Key Takeaway
🟢 As climate change intensifies extreme events, preparedness must become as important as disaster response.
🟢 Nepal’s tragedy is a stark reminder that resilience must be built before disaster strikes.
🔹 UPSC Mains Question:
“Climate change is making natural disasters more frequent and unpredictable, exposing the limitations of traditional disaster management approaches.” Discuss.
#Environment #DisasterManagement
3August 31, 2026 555 9
