Himalayan hazards are becoming more complex. Our warning systems need to catch up

By Mehebub Sahana, Senior Research Fellow and Lecturer in Environmental Management, University of Manchester
Nimesh Dhungana, Lecturer in Disasters and Global Health, Humanitarian and Conflict Response Institute, University of Manchester
Priyank Pravin Patel, Assistant Professor, Department of Geography, Presidency University, Kolkata
Reshma Shrestha, Associate Professor, Department of Geomatics Engineering, Kathmandu University

The exact timeline of the recent Nepal flooding disaster is becoming clearer. At 8:37am, instruments recorded what was initially interpreted as an earthquake near Nepal’s border with China. Seven minutes later, CCTV recorded the Gyirong Port border post being destroyed by a massive debris flow and flood.

Nepal’s flood authorities learned about the incident at about 9:00am and sent out an emergency SMS alert at about 9:15am. But by that time, Nepal was already deep into a major disaster.

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