Kathmandu (Nepal) (AFP) – When he saw the wall of water, ice and debris rush into the valley and wipe out his village last week, Pemba Chhring Tamang quickly realized that his life, on the Nepalese slopes of the Himalayas, would never be the same again.
Published on: 03/09/2026 - 09:07
“We had heard about climate change on the news, we had experienced floods, but never like this,” confides this 57-year-old man, evacuated from the destroyed district of Rasuwa. “She destroyed everything, our houses and our village.”
The wave, caused by the collapse of a glacier upstream, left more than 1,200 dead and 4,700 missing, according to still provisional reports from the authorities of Nepal and China.
Eight days later, emergency services are continuing their efforts to search for bodies or possible survivors, and are trying to urgently provide for the essential needs of tens of thousands of victims.
“What did Nepal do to deserve this?” asks environmental activist Tashi Lhazom.
Although the precise causes of the glacier's collapse remain to be clarified, the general melting of glaciers linked to climate change increases the probability of this type of disaster.
An injustice for many, as Nepal is one of the countries that contributes the least to climate change through its greenhouse gas emissions.
“We are suffering from a crime that we did not commit,” asserts Tashi Lhazom.
- "Cascading events" -
For the inhabitants of the Himalayas and the Hindu Kush, the largest ice reserve on the planet after the two poles, rising temperatures have disastrous consequences.
The rate of melting of glaciers has doubled over the past twenty years, according to two studies published in March 2026.
“A change of a small degree can result in thousands of deaths,” insists Ms. Lhazom.
Saswata Sanyal, from the International Center for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) based in Kathmandu, recalls that global warming "is giving rise to many dangerous interactions in high mountains".
“We have already identified cascading events like that of August 26,” he adds.
Nepalese glaciologist Tenzing Chogyal Sherpa does not hesitate to blame the countries polluting the most. “They must take responsibility and, one way or another, be held accountable,” he said.
In recent days, the Nepalese government has increased its appeals to the international community to come to its aid and, above all, to accelerate the fight against the causes of climate change.
Prime Minister Balendra Shah said Nepal must "strongly make the case" to the international community about the disasters suffered by the country.
Last week's disaster is a "warning", added its Minister of Foreign Affairs, Shisir Khanal, to AFP.
“Tragic impact”
Support for Nepal "must not be limited to humanitarian aid or be considered an act of charity, but must also be considered from a climate justice perspective", he insisted.
The minister calls in particular for the establishment of alert systems and better information sharing.
There is urgency, because numerous scientific studies show that climate change is accelerating the intensity and frequency of floods, landslides and other violent natural episodes.
“There is no sign that these events will stop,” confirms Dhondup Wangmo, researcher at the Tibet Policy Institute, close to the Tibetan government in exile. “In reality, they are more likely to occur in the future, with even more tragic consequences.”
Beyond Nepal, the entire region is threatened.
In neighboring India, Rushati Das of the NGO Climate Action Network South Asia (CANSA) warns that climate change is "knocking on our door".
“What happens in the mountains does not stay confined there,” she elaborates, “a disaster in the Himalayas has consequences well beyond borders, on river basins, ecosystems, people and their livelihoods throughout South Asia.”
In his makeshift camp, Pemba Chhring Tamang is concerned about his immediate future. His village was wiped out. “We were born here,” he recalls, “so what do we do?”
© 2026 AFP
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