Journalist Kunda Dixit on a young, fragile Himalayas—and the risks Nepal is ignoring
Summary
Kunda Dixit warns that the Himalayas are geologically fragile and that Nepal is underestimating the risks from landslides, glacial floods and climate change. He says development, hydropower planning and infrastructure must adapt to the mountains’ unstable reality.
Key Points
- Kunda Dixit says the Himalayas are a young, fragile and geologically active mountain system, not an immovable one.
- He cites the Bhotekoshi-Trishuli disaster as a warning sign of bigger hazards from ice-rock avalanches, glacial lakes and earthquakes.
- He argues Nepal must rethink hydropower, roads and settlement patterns to avoid building in high-risk river corridors and slopes.
- Dixit says climate change is pushing diseases, pests and extreme rainfall into higher Himalayan areas, creating new risks for communities.
