Calls are growing to strengthen a cross-border information-sharing system between Nepal and China to prepare for glacier disasters, after the Himalayan deluge that killed nearly 800 people in both countries. China warned Nepal of possible heavy rain and landslides before the catastrophe, but Nepal says it needs a system to quickly share specific information such as glacier movement and river levels.
According to Reuters on the 30th local time, Nepalese and Chinese officials and experts discussed cooperation plans in Kathmandu, the capital of Nepal, on May 27 to respond to disasters related to floods, weather, and glaciers, three months before the deluge. However, the talks between the two countries did not lead to a concrete agreement.
According to Nepal's meeting agenda obtained by Reuters, 10 Nepalese officials and 12 Chinese participants, including officials from the Tibet region, attended the meeting. The two sides discussed joint measures to reduce disaster risk, such as creating a list of glacial lakes and building risk maps.
However, two Nepalese officials said they did not receive as much information as they wanted from China after the meeting on glacier risks and water levels. Sauhardra Joshi, a hydrologist at Nepal's Flood Forecasting Section who attended the meeting, said, "What we wanted then, and what we still want now, is to detect even the earliest signs if there is initial movement in glaciers or surrounding areas."
Still, Nepalese officials and experts drew a line at the idea that a lack of information sharing between the two countries was a main cause of the disaster. They said it occurred when a glacier suddenly collapsed in a region that had been relatively under observed.
China warned Nepal of the possibility of a disaster 12 days before it happened. According to Reuters, the World Meteorological Center Beijing (WMC Beijing), operated by the China Meteorological Administration (CMA), informed Nepalese authorities that the region was expected to be affected by a monsoon low from Aug. 14–19. At the time, the Chinese side also urged caution about the possibility of secondary or cascading disasters such as landslides and flash floods, saying rainfall could increase across much of Nepal.
The Chinese Embassy in Nepal also pushed back against some criticism that China failed to provide enough information. On the 29th, the embassy said on social media platform X (formerly Twitter) that the two countries had been in close contact on the matter and that there had been "substantive progress" on expanding cross-border disaster information sharing at the May meeting. It added that Chinese researchers provided key information in a timely manner.
In this context, what Nepal is asking for is disaster information broader than just heavy rain forecasts. While China provides relevant forecasts and observational data when heavy rain is expected in Tibet, Nepal says information related to avalanches, river levels, and landslides is not sufficient. China has been providing heavy rain forecasts for Tibet to Nepal via WeChat and email for about a month.
The disaster on the 26th is believed to have been triggered when part of a glacier collapsed near the China Tibet–Nepal border, leading to massive flash floods and landslides. So far, nearly 800 people have died in both countries, and more than 3,000 are missing.
Nepal plans to use this catastrophe as an opportunity to expand disaster information sharing with China. In a manner similar to what it already operates with India, it will push for an agreement with China to share rainfall and river level information more frequently, and it will also strengthen systems to monitor avalanches and sudden outbursts from glacial lakes.
In particular, Nepal will propose that China share rainfall and river level data every 10 minutes. Binod Parajuli, a government hydrologist, said, "Our most important goal is to miss no disaster in the future," adding that faster information is needed to warn local residents of danger and save lives.