Kathmandu. Nepal has organized a high-level regional debate on the Bhotekoshi-Trishuli disaster in Bangkok, the capital of Thailand.
In a high-level debate attended by ministers from the Asia Pacific countries, Nepal informed about the climate crisis and the series of disasters that it has faced and discussed on global warming and climate change and the crisis in the mountain region.
On the occasion of the fifth ministerial conference of the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP), Nepal organized a dialogue on the theme ‘From Mt. Everest to Ocean: Lessons of Nepal’s Bhotekoshi-Trishuli Disaster to Prevent Serial Disasters in Asia-Pacific’.
Ministers, diplomats, scientists and disaster management experts from various countries of the Asia-Pacific region are participating in the event jointly organized by Nepal in collaboration with UN ESCAP at the United Nations Conference Centre in Bangkok.
It was informed that a series of disasters occurred in the Bhotekoshi and Trishuli rivers areas due to a massive avalanche in the high mountainous region of Nepal in August last year, which has caused huge damage to hydropower projects, road infrastructure, border mechanisms and livelihood of local communities.
As temperatures rise to 1.5 degrees Celsius are approaching, the scientists said, adding that these disasters in the mountains are not limited to a particular country but are evolving as a “chain of risks” with downstream and cross-border impacts.
Nepal’s emphasis on the use of early warning and technology
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Speaking at the inaugural session of the program, Minister for Energy, Water Resources and Irrigation Biraj Bhakta Shrestha said that the Bhotekoshi-Trishuli disaster is a warning bell not only for Nepal but for the entire Asia-Pacific region. He stressed on the need of international cooperation, use of satellite and digital technology and financial resources to deal with the mountain threat.
Likewise, Nepali Ambassador to Thailand Dhan Bahadur Oli and UN ESCAP Executive Secretary Amida Salcia Alisyahbana univocally spoke of the regional data exchange and an integrated early warning system to protect the ecosystem from the mountain to the sea.
During the dialogue, three main issues were discussed to strengthen disaster resilience. Nepal stressed on the need to study the risks associated with climate, glacial and geological changes, to immediately share emergency data, hydrological measurements and risk information between neighboring countries during crisis, and to make the early warning system efficient through the use of space technology, satellite mapping, artificial intelligence and youth-centered technology.
Member of National Planning Commission Sanjay Acharya, Chief Executive Officer of National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority (NDRRMA) Dharma Raj Upreti and Director General of Department of Hydrology and Meteorology, Archana Shrestha made presentations in the dialogue.
Ministers from Thailand, Bhutan, Fiji, Samoa, Sri Lanka and Kyrgyzstan, as well as representatives from China (NDRC), India (ISRO), World Meteorological Organization (WMO), ICIMOD, Asian Development Bank (ADB) among others, stressed on the need of preparing a regional action agenda for the resilient Himalayan region.
Nepal expects the regional dialogue to help Nepal rebuild and rebuild and provide policy guidance and common strategies for other countries in the Asia-Pacific region.
Support of 53 countries
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KATHMANDU: As many as 53 countries have expressed their commitment to support Nepal’s proposal to form an Asia Pacific Regional Space Alliance for climate disaster preparedness. On behalf of Nepal, Energy Minister Shrestha proposed to exchange space technology, satellite information and data at the regional level to deal with the climate crisis.
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