Opinion | Why Nepal’s infrastructure keeps losing to the river
Summary
A catastrophic flood in the Bhotekoshi (Trishuli) River has destroyed roads, bridges, hydropower plants and riverbank settlements, exposing major weaknesses in Nepal’s infrastructure planning. The opinion piece calls for basin-wide planning, stronger climate-proof standards, and better coordination across federal, provincial and local governments.
Key Points
- The August 26 flood in the Bhotekoshi (Trishuli) River caused severe damage to settlements, highways, bridges and hydropower projects, killing at least 289 people and leaving hundreds missing.
- The article argues that Nepal’s current infrastructure model is outdated and vulnerable to climate-driven disasters, glacier melt, GLOFs and poor river basin management.
- It calls for rapid transport restoration, backup power arrangements, mandatory structural audits and stronger federal, provincial and local responsibilities.
- The piece also urges integrated basin planning, stricter environmental enforcement, community warning systems and disaster-financing tools such as insurance and catastrophe bonds.
