Nepal proposes regional space cooperation for monitoring climate risks
Summary
Nepal has urged Asia-Pacific countries to deepen space-based cooperation for monitoring climate hazards and improving disaster early warning systems. Minister Biraj Bhakta Shrestha highlighted the need for satellite monitoring of unstable slopes and glacial lakes, along with affordable access to usable data and tools.
Key Points
- Nepal presented three proposals at the Fifth Ministerial Conference on Space Applications for Sustainable Development in Asia and the Pacific in Bangkok.
- Energy Minister Biraj Bhakta Shrestha called for regional cooperation on satellite monitoring of climate hazards, especially high-mountain risks such as unstable slopes and glacial lakes.
- He said Nepal’s recent warning systems reached hundreds of thousands of people along the Bhotekoshi-Trishuli and downstream areas, helping communities move to safety.
- Shrestha cited studies on dangerous glacial lakes in Nepal, China and India and said Nepal is working to monitor four high-risk lakes with support from the Green Climate Fund and UNDP.
