Mainstream WeeklyGUEST EDITORIAL
Multiple factors are now coming to light behind the recent flood disaster in Nepal. Although a detailed official investigation has yet to be conducted, mutual accusations have already begun—and some of them carry weight.
Foremost among these is China’s irresponsible failure to share early-warning data. When Nepal states that no such information was received from China, the omission ought to be regarded as nothing less than a crime against humanity.
China has also shown persistent reluctance to share hydrological data with countries across the Himalayan region, including Nepal. It ceased the exchange of water-resource data with India in 2022.
While China has treated India and other neighbours unfairly in this regard, India itself has adopted a comparable stance toward Pakistan by suspending the sharing of hydrological data. The tragedy in Nepal is, in part, a consequence of political leaders’ failure to recognise that the lives and livelihoods of millions living in river basins hang in the balance when, at the culmination of political disputes, they choose to withhold vital cross-border information.
It is essential to acknowledge that political borders have no relevance in the face of ecological crises.